# Is "Dark Eden" by Chris Beckett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dark Eden by Chris Beckett (Corvus, 2012) is identified by: UK Corvus (an imprint of Atlantic Books) hardcover, 2012; ISBN 9781848874633; 404 pages. The UK Corvus hardcover of 2012 is the true first; it precedes the US edition (Crown/Broadway, 2014).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Corvus (an imprint of Atlantic Books) hardcover, 2012
- ISBN 9781848874633
- 404 pages
- The first printing carries the Corvus imprint on the title page and copyright page and is issued in an unclipped dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Corvus simultaneously issued a trade paperback (ISBN 9781848874640), so the hardcover in jacket is the collectible form
- Author-signed copies of the first hardcover exist, some additionally lined and dated by Beckett
- Publisher imprint reads Corvus

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Chris Beckett |
| Publisher | Corvus |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Corvus (an imprint of Atlantic Books) hardcover, 2012 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Corvus (an imprint of Atlantic Books) hardcover, 2012; ISBN 9781848874633; 404 pages. The first printing carries the Corvus imprint on the title page and copyright page and is issued in an unclipped dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap. Corvus simultaneously issued a trade paperback (ISBN 9781848874640), so the hardcover in jacket is the collectible form. Author-signed copies of the first hardcover exist, some additionally lined and dated by Beckett.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Corvus hardcover of 2012 is the true first; it precedes the US edition (Crown/Broadway, 2014). The book won the 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Award and was the Sunday Times SF Novel of the Year for 2012.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US edition is a later, separate state ('first US'); subsequent printings are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dark Eden* by Chris Beckett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dark-eden
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.