The points of issue
Paperback original, DAW Book Collectors No. 420 (order code UE1594), with the printed cover price; first printing dated 1981 with no later-printing statement. Cover art by David B. Mattingly.
Is this the true first?
The US DAW 1981 mass-market paperback original is the true first; it won the 1982 Hugo Award for Best Novel. There was no simultaneous hardcover, so later hardcover and book-club editions are 'first thus.'
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No early hardcover precedes the DAW paperback. Later DAW printings change the Collectors number and printing line, and later hardcover or leather-bound editions are subsequent issues.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Downbelow Station a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Paperback original, DAW Book Collectors No. 420 (order code UE1594), with the printed cover price; first printing dated 1981 with no later-printing statement. Cover art by David B. Mattingly.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US DAW 1981 mass-market paperback original is the true first; it won the 1982 Hugo Award for Best Novel. There was no simultaneous hardcover, so later hardcover and book-club editions are 'first thus.'
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No early hardcover precedes the DAW paperback. Later DAW printings change the Collectors number and printing line, and later hardcover or leather-bound editions are subsequent issues.
I have a first edition of Downbelow Station — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.