Is My Copy of Dreamsongs (retrospective collection, 2 vols) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published as GRRM: A RRetrospective, a single massive hardcover from Subterranean Press, 2003, debuting at Torcon 3
• Issued in three states: a trade cloth hardcover, a 400-copy signed numbered limited in slipcase (accompanied by The Last Defender of Camelot chapbook), and a 52-copy signed lettered state in traycase with extra original art
• Retitled Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective for the Gollancz UK one-volume hardcover
• and the Bantam US two-volume hardcover set

How Subterranean Press marked a first edition

• Trade first edition: copyright-page number line with '1' present and no additional printings listed
• Limited states identified by a signed limitation/signature sheet near the front giving the print run; issued in NUMBERED (signed, e.g. /250, /500, /1000) and more-exclusive LETTERED states (typically 26 copies A–Z)…

Full Subterranean Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The Subterranean Press GRRM: A RRetrospective (2003) is the true first edition in all three states. The Gollancz one-volume edition (2006) is the first UK trade; the Bantam two-volume set (2007) is the first US trade under the Dreamsongs title.P-010116

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

All Dreamsongs-titled trade editions (Gollancz 2006, Bantam 2007, and later paperbacks) postdate the 2003 Subterranean issues.P-010117

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Dreamsongs (retrospective collection, 2 vols) a first edition?

A first edition of Dreamsongs (retrospective collection, 2 vols) by George R.R. Martin (Subterranean Press) is identified by: First published as GRRM: A RRetrospective, a single massive hardcover from Subterranean Press, 2003, debuting at Torcon 3.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The Subterranean Press GRRM: A RRetrospective (2003) is the true first edition in all three states.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

All Dreamsongs-titled trade editions (Gollancz 2006, Bantam 2007, and later paperbacks) postdate the 2003 Subterranean issues.

I have a first edition of Dreamsongs (retrospective collection, 2 vols) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.