# Is "Changeling" by Roger Zelazny a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Changeling by Roger Zelazny (Ace Books, 1980) is identified by: First edition, first printing is the Ace trade paperback original, illustrated by Esteban Maroto, in pictorial wrappers with the cover price printed. US Ace illustrated trade paperback original is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing is the Ace trade paperback original, illustrated by Esteban Maroto, in pictorial wrappers with the cover price printed
- There is no priced Ace trade hardcover; the only hardcover is a book club issue
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roger Zelazny |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing is the Ace trade paperback original, illustrated by Esteban Maroto, in pictorial wrappers with the cover… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing is the Ace trade paperback original, illustrated by Esteban Maroto, in pictorial wrappers with the cover price printed. There is no priced Ace trade hardcover; the only hardcover is a book club issue.

## Is this the true first?
US Ace illustrated trade paperback original is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Science Fiction Book Club hardcover was issued in 1980 (black boards, blue spine lettering, gutter code K25 on page 250 for a June 1980 printing); it is a book club edition, not a true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Changeling* by Roger Zelazny a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/changeling
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.