# Is "Downbelow Station" by C. J. Cherryh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh (DAW Books, 1981) is identified by: Paperback original, DAW Books, February 1981, carrying both the DAW Book Collectors number 420 and the order code UE1594 with the printed cover price; first printing dated 1981 with no later-printing statement. The US DAW 1981 mass-market paperback original is the true first; it won the 1982 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original, DAW Books, February 1981, carrying both the DAW Book Collectors number 420 and the order code UE1594 with the printed cover price; first printing dated 1981 with no later-printing statement
- Cover art by David B. Mattingly
- ISBN 0-87997-594-6, about 432 pages
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C. J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original, DAW Books, February 1981, carrying both the DAW Book Collectors number 420 and the order code UE1594 with the printed… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback original, DAW Books, February 1981, carrying both the DAW Book Collectors number 420 and the order code UE1594 with the printed cover price; first printing dated 1981 with no later-printing statement. Cover art by David B. Mattingly; ISBN 0-87997-594-6, about 432 pages.

## 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 US hardcover, so later US hardcover and book-club editions are 'first thus.' A separate first British hardcover edition (Methuen) followed and does not precede the DAW paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No early US hardcover precedes the DAW paperback. Later DAW printings change the Collectors number and printing line, and the later Easton Press leather-bound and other hardcover editions are subsequent issues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Downbelow Station* by C. J. Cherryh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/downbelow-station
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.