# Is "Four Hundred Billion Stars" by Paul J. McAuley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Four Hundred Billion Stars by Paul J. McAuley (Del Rey / Ballantine, 1988) is identified by: US Del Rey (Ballantine) mass-market paperback original, first printing dated April 1988 (published April 12, 1988) and identified by a complete number line on the copyright page. The US Del Rey paperback original was published April 12, 1988, ahead of the UK Victor Gollancz hardcover that appeared later the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Del Rey (Ballantine) mass-market paperback original, first printing dated April 1988 (published April 12, 1988) and identified by a complete number line on the copyright page
- This is McAuley's debut novel and the true first edition
- The wraparound cover carries the Del Rey imprint; the first printing bears the April 1988 dating with no statement of a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Del Rey / Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paul J. McAuley |
| Publisher | Del Rey / Ballantine |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Del Rey (Ballantine) mass-market paperback original, first printing dated April 1988 (published April 12, 1988) and identified by a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Del Rey (Ballantine) mass-market paperback original, first printing dated April 1988 (published April 12, 1988) and identified by a complete number line on the copyright page. This is McAuley's debut novel and the true first edition. The wraparound cover carries the Del Rey imprint; the first printing bears the April 1988 dating with no statement of a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
The US Del Rey paperback original was published April 12, 1988, ahead of the UK Victor Gollancz hardcover that appeared later the same year. Dealer cataloguing (L.W. Currey, John W. Knott) describes the Gollancz as the first British and first hardcover edition, which confirms the Del Rey paperback original holds precedence as the true first. It was a co-winner (a tie with Rudy Rucker's Wetware) of the 1989 Philip K. Dick Award for the best original science-fiction paperback of 1988.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The UK Gollancz hardcover of 1988 is a distinct, separately collectible state and the first hardcover, but it follows the US Del Rey paperback. Later reissues are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Four Hundred Billion Stars* by Paul J. McAuley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/four-hundred-billion-stars
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.