# Is "Distraction" by Bruce Sterling a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Distraction by Bruce Sterling (Bantam Spectra, 1998) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra hardcover, December 1998; ISBN 0553104845; black paper boards, dust jacket printed with the price on the front flap. The US Bantam Spectra hardcover of 1998 is the true first; the UK edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra hardcover, December 1998
- ISBN 0553104845; black paper boards, dust jacket printed with the price on the front flap
- Identify the first printing by a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bruce Sterling |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra hardcover, December 1998 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra hardcover, December 1998; ISBN 0553104845; black paper boards, dust jacket printed with the price on the front flap. Identify the first printing by a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra hardcover of 1998 is the true first; the UK edition followed. The novel won the 2000 Arthur C. Clarke Award and was a 1999 Hugo nominee.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Science Fiction Book Club hardcover exists (typically blind-stamped on the rear board and lacking a printed jacket price); it is a book-club edition, not the true first. Later printings are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Distraction* by Bruce Sterling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/distraction
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.