# Is "Dinner at Deviant's Palace" by Tim Powers a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dinner at Deviant's Palace by Tim Powers (Ace Books, 1985) is identified by: US Ace paperback original, January 1985, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by John Berkey. The US Ace paperback original of 1985 is the true first and the award-eligible edition: it won the 1986 Philip K.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Ace paperback original, January 1985, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by John Berkey
- Issued only as a mass-market paperback; the first printing is identified by the Ace first-printing statement on the copyright page together with the complete number line, and the wrapper carries the printed cover price
- No priority hardcover preceded it
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tim Powers |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Ace paperback original, January 1985, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by John Berkey |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Ace paperback original, January 1985, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by John Berkey. Issued only as a mass-market paperback; the first printing is identified by the Ace first-printing statement on the copyright page together with the complete number line, and the wrapper carries the printed cover price. No priority hardcover preceded it.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ace paperback original of 1985 is the true first and the award-eligible edition: it won the 1986 Philip K. Dick Award and the 1985 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel, and was a 1985 Nebula nominee. The later Charnel House signed/limited hardcover is a collectible 'first thus,' not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Charnel House limited hardcover is a later deluxe state; subsequent Ace and other reprints show an advanced number line and revised cover pricing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dinner at Deviant's Palace* by Tim Powers a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dinner-at-deviants-palace
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.