Is My Copy of Carrion Comfort a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Oversized 8vo, 636 pp, illustrated by Dan Simmons and Kathleen McNeil Sherman
• Issued in three states: 26 lettered copies (signed), 450 numbered copies (signed by author and artist) plus a small number of publisher's copies marked P/C on the colophon leaf, and an unsigned trade issue (ISBN 0-913165-37-9)
• The limited states carry a limitation leaf; the trade does not

How Dark Harvest marked a first edition

• 1984-1991: horror specialty press best known for the Night Visions anthology series; titles were issued as limited signed firsts alongside trade hardcover firsts - the signed/numbered limitation page identifies the…

Full Dark Harvest first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. 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.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
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?

US Dark Harvest 1989 is the true first, preceding the UK Headline 1990 edition. The lettered and numbered signed states are the premium points; the trade hardcover is the standard first. Won the Bram Stoker, Locus, and August Derleth awards.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No standard book-club edition. Later printings and the UK edition are not the first. Distinguish the signed limited (limitation leaf present) from the trade (no limitation leaf).P-005475

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Carrion Comfort a first edition?

A first edition of Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (Dark Harvest) is identified by: Oversized 8vo, 636 pp, illustrated by Dan Simmons and Kathleen McNeil Sherman.

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. US Dark Harvest 1989 is the true first, preceding the UK Headline 1990 edition.

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

No standard book-club edition. Later printings and the UK edition are not the first. Distinguish the signed limited (limitation leaf present) from the trade (no limitation leaf).

I have a first edition of Carrion Comfort — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.