# Is "Bridge of Ashes" by Roger Zelazny a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bridge of Ashes by Roger Zelazny (Signet/NAL, 1976) is identified by: Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalogue number Y7080, published July 1976, 154 pages; first printing so stated on the copyright page with the printer's key intact and the original cover price present. The 1976 Signet paperback original is the true first edition; no hardcover preceded it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalogue number Y7080, published July 1976, 154 pages; first printing so stated on the copyright page with the printer's key intact and the original cover price present
- Cover illustration by Gene Szafran
- Publisher imprint reads Signet/NAL
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roger Zelazny |
| Publisher | Signet/NAL |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalogue number Y7080, published July 1976, 154 pages; first printing so… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Signet (New American Library) mass-market paperback original, catalogue number Y7080, published July 1976, 154 pages; first printing so stated on the copyright page with the printer's key intact and the original cover price present. Cover illustration by Gene Szafran.

## Is this the true first?
The 1976 Signet paperback original is the true first edition; no hardcover preceded it. The first hardcover did not appear until 1979 (Gregg Press) and reprints the Signet text, so it is a first-hardcover issue rather than the priority edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; paperback original with no book club edition. A later 1981 Signet reissue carries a different catalogue number and pairs the novel with Today We Choose Faces under a new Szafran cover, and the 1979 Gregg Press hardcover is a reprint, not a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bridge of Ashes* by Roger Zelazny a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bridge-of-ashes
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.