# Is "Fools" by Pat Cadigan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fools by Pat Cadigan (Bantam Spectra, 1992) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra paperback original, 1992 (a Spectra Special Edition); first printing carries the full descending number line ending in 1. The US Bantam Spectra paperback original of 1992 is the earliest edition and precedes the UK Collins/Flamingo hardcover and paperback, which did not appear until 1994.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra paperback original, 1992 (a Spectra Special Edition); first printing carries the full descending number line ending in 1
- Issued as a paperback original, so there is no true hardcover first
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Pat Cadigan |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra paperback original, 1992 (a Spectra Special Edition); first printing carries the full descending number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra paperback original, 1992 (a Spectra Special Edition); first printing carries the full descending number line ending in 1. Issued as a paperback original, so there is no true hardcover first.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra paperback original of 1992 is the earliest edition and precedes the UK Collins/Flamingo hardcover and paperback, which did not appear until 1994. Won the 1995 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later UK Collins/Flamingo and subsequent reissues are reprints, not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fools* by Pat Cadigan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fools
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.