# Is "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Bantam Books, 1992) is identified by: Bantam hardcover, octavo, cloth-backed boards; the first printing carries the statement 'A Bantam Book / July 1992 / Published simultaneously in hardcover and trade paperback' with a full number line ending in 1, and a priced dust jacket. The US Bantam 1992 hardcover is the true first; a simultaneous trade paperback exists.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam hardcover, octavo, cloth-backed boards; the first printing carries the statement 'A Bantam Book / July 1992 / Published simultaneously in hardcover and trade paperback' with a full number line ending in 1, and a priced dust jacket
- Issued simultaneously in hardcover and trade paperback; the hardcover with the full number line is the prize
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Connie Willis |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam hardcover, octavo, cloth-backed boards; the first printing carries the statement 'A Bantam Book / July 1992 / Published… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam hardcover, octavo, cloth-backed boards; the first printing carries the statement 'A Bantam Book / July 1992 / Published simultaneously in hardcover and trade paperback' with a full number line ending in 1, and a priced dust jacket. Issued simultaneously in hardcover and trade paperback; the hardcover with the full number line is the prize.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam 1992 hardcover is the true first; a simultaneous trade paperback exists. The UK New English Library (1992) edition is a separate first. Confirm the full number line on the hardcover copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition: no price on the jacket flap, a blind-stamp on the rear board, lacks the full number line, and uses cheaper boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Doomsday Book* by Connie Willis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/doomsday-book
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.