# Is "Fairyland" by Paul J. McAuley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fairyland by Paul J. McAuley (Victor Gollancz, 1995) is identified by: UK Gollancz hardcover, London 1995 (ISBN 0575060700), the first printing carrying the full Gollancz number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with cover art by Steve Crisp, which should retain its printed flap price and be neither price-clipped nor remaindered. The UK Gollancz 1995 hardcover is the true first; it precedes the US Avon/Eos edition (US mass-market appeared in 1997).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Gollancz hardcover, London 1995 (ISBN 0575060700), the first printing carrying the full Gollancz number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with cover art by Steve Crisp, which should retain its printed flap price and be neither price-clipped nor remaindered
- Copies to avoid for a true first are the simultaneous Gollancz trade-paperback issue and any ex-library example
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paul J. McAuley |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Gollancz hardcover, London 1995 (ISBN 0575060700), the first printing carrying the full Gollancz number line on the copyright page… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Gollancz hardcover, London 1995 (ISBN 0575060700), the first printing carrying the full Gollancz number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with cover art by Steve Crisp, which should retain its printed flap price and be neither price-clipped nor remaindered. Copies to avoid for a true first are the simultaneous Gollancz trade-paperback issue and any ex-library example.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Gollancz 1995 hardcover is the true first; it precedes the US Avon/Eos edition (US mass-market appeared in 1997). Won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel. It was shortlisted for, but did not win, the BSFA Award for Best Novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US Avon edition is the first US, not the true first; later reissues are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fairyland* by Paul J. McAuley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fairyland
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.