# Is "Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 6" by Clive Barker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 6 by Clive Barker (Sphere Books, 1985) is identified by: Sphere paperback original, London, 1985, with cover art by Clive Barker; contains 'The Life of Death,' 'How Spoilers Bleed,' 'Twilight at the Towers,' 'The Last Illusion,' and the postscript 'On Jerusalem Street.' The first printing carries the 1985 Sphere first-edition statement and printed cover price with no later-printing notice; Sphere reprinted in 1987. The 1985 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition of Volume 6.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Sphere paperback original, London, 1985, with cover art by Clive Barker; contains 'The Life of Death,' 'How Spoilers Bleed,' 'Twilight at the Towers,' 'The Last Illusion,' and the postscript 'On Jerusalem Street.' The first printing carries the 1985 Sphere first-edition statement and printed cover price with no later-printing notice
- Sphere reprinted in 1987
- Publisher imprint reads Sphere Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Clive Barker |
| Publisher | Sphere Books |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Sphere paperback original, London, 1985, with cover art by Clive Barker; contains 'The Life of Death,' 'How Spoilers Bleed,' 'Twilight at… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Sphere paperback original, London, 1985, with cover art by Clive Barker; contains 'The Life of Death,' 'How Spoilers Bleed,' 'Twilight at the Towers,' 'The Last Illusion,' and the postscript 'On Jerusalem Street.' The first printing carries the 1985 Sphere first-edition statement and printed cover price with no later-printing notice; Sphere reprinted in 1987.

## Is this the true first?
The 1985 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition of Volume 6. Unlike Volumes 1 to 3, the Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover of Volume 6 followed a year later, in 1986, with a dust jacket reproducing Barker's own painting; sources consistently date the W&N Volume 6 hardcover to 1986 rather than 1985. A 200-copy signed and boxed Weidenfeld & Nicolson limited issue exists but comprised Volumes 4, 5, and 6 together. No separate US trade volume appeared; the stories reached the US later, notably in the expanded US edition of Cabal (Poseidon, 1988) and a 1991 Scream/Press signed limited, with a 1995 Lord of Illusions tie-in paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No US book club edition of this volume exists, unlike the retitled Volumes 4 and 5. Later Sphere printings, the 1986 Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover, and the 1995 Lord of Illusions tie-in reissues are not the paperback first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 6* by Clive Barker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/clive-barkers-books-of-blood-volume-6
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.