# Is "Expedition to Earth" by Arthur C. Clarke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Expedition to Earth by Arthur C. Clarke (Ballantine Books, 1953) is identified by: US Ballantine Books first edition, Clarke's first short-story collection. The US Ballantine edition (1953) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Ballantine Books first edition, Clarke's first short-story collection
- Ballantine issued it simultaneously in a cloth hardcover and in paperback wrappers, so neither format has clear priority
- The collection includes The Sentinel, the story that later seeded 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Ballantine Books first edition, Clarke's first short-story collection |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Ballantine Books first edition, Clarke's first short-story collection. Ballantine issued it simultaneously in a cloth hardcover and in paperback wrappers, so neither format has clear priority. The collection includes The Sentinel, the story that later seeded 2001: A Space Odyssey.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ballantine edition (1953) is the true first. Hardcover and paperback were published together.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. Later printings are noted on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Expedition to Earth* by Arthur C. Clarke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/expedition-to-earth
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.