# Is "Driftglass" by Samuel R. Delany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Driftglass by Samuel R. Delany (Signet / New American Library, 1971) is identified by: First story collection; Signet mass-market paperback original, catalog number Q4384, published November 1971, cover art by Bob Pepper. US Signet paperback original (1971) is the true first; later hardcover printings are reprints.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First story collection
- Signet mass-market paperback original, catalog number Q4384, published November 1971, cover art by Bob Pepper
- No preceding hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Signet / New American Library
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel R. Delany |
| Publisher | Signet / New American Library |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First story collection |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First story collection; Signet mass-market paperback original, catalog number Q4384, published November 1971, cover art by Bob Pepper. No preceding hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
US Signet paperback original (1971) is the true first; later hardcover printings are reprints.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None; as a paperback original there is no book-club first to confuse.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Driftglass* by Samuel R. Delany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/driftglass
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.