# Is "Brothers of Earth" by C.J. Cherryh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Brothers of Earth by C.J. Cherryh (Nelson Doubleday / Science Fiction Book Club, 1976) is identified by: First published as a Science Fiction Book Club hardcover in June 1976: a club edition with a gutter code and no price on the jacket. Unusual precedence: the book club hardcover (June 1976) came before the DAW paperback (October 1976), so the SFBC hardcover is the true first edition; the DAW first printing is the first mass-market edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published as a Science Fiction Book Club hardcover in June 1976: a club edition with a gutter code and no price on the jacket
- The DAW paperback (DAW Collectors No
- 212, catalog number UW1257) followed in October 1976 as the first mass-market edition
- Cherryh's second published novel
- Publisher imprint reads Nelson Doubleday / Science Fiction Book Club
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | Nelson Doubleday / Science Fiction Book Club |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published as a Science Fiction Book Club hardcover in June 1976: a club edition with a gutter code and no price on the jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First published as a Science Fiction Book Club hardcover in June 1976: a club edition with a gutter code and no price on the jacket. The DAW paperback (DAW Collectors No. 212, catalog number UW1257) followed in October 1976 as the first mass-market edition. Cherryh's second published novel.

## Is this the true first?
Unusual precedence: the book club hardcover (June 1976) came before the DAW paperback (October 1976), so the SFBC hardcover is the true first edition; the DAW first printing is the first mass-market edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The true first is itself a book club edition, so club traits such as the gutter code and unpriced jacket do not disqualify it here.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Brothers of Earth* by C.J. Cherryh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/brothers-of-earth
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.