The points of issue
Berkley Medallion paperback original, catalog number X1705 (not S1681), sixty-cent cover price, published June 1969, cover art by Sandy Kossin.
Is this the true first?
The US Berkley Medallion paperback original is the true first edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition of the first issue; issued as a paperback original. (A Book Club hardcover of the later Doubleday-line edition is a separate later issue and is not the first.)
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Galactic Pot-Healer a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Berkley Medallion paperback original, catalog number X1705 (not S1681), sixty-cent cover price, published June 1969, cover art by Sandy Kossin.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Berkley Medallion paperback original is the true first edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition of the first issue; issued as a paperback original. (A Book Club hardcover of the later Doubleday-line edition is a separate later issue and is not the first.)
I have a first edition of Galactic Pot-Healer — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.