Is My Borders of Infinity a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Baen Books mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0-671-69841-9); the copyright page states First printing, October 1989
• A story collection of three Miles Vorkosigan novellas, The Mountains of Mourning, Labyrinth, and The Borders of Infinity, joined by a framing story; cover art by Gary Ruddell
• No prior trade or hardcover edition

How Baen Books marked a first edition

• Many Baen titles use a number line with '1' present — lowest digit indicates the printing

Full Baen Books first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The Baen paperback original (first printing, October 1989) is the true first edition of the collection; the three component novellas appeared earlier in magazines and anthologies.P-019599

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No standalone book-club edition, but the Science Fiction Book Club issued a 1990 GuildAmerica hardcover omnibus, Vorkosigan's Game, combining The Vor Game with Borders of Infinity; that omnibus is not a first edition of this title.P-019600

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Borders of Infinity a first edition?

A first edition of Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen Books) is identified by: Baen Books mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0-671-69841-9); the copyright page states First printing, October 1989.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The Baen paperback original (first printing, October 1989) is the true first edition of the collection; the three component novellas appeared earlier in magazines and anthologies.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No standalone book-club edition, but the Science Fiction Book Club issued a 1990 GuildAmerica hardcover omnibus, Vorkosigan's Game, combining The Vor Game with Borders of Infinity; that omnibus is not a first edition of this title.

I have a first edition of Borders of Infinity — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.