# Is "Ghost World" by Daniel Clowes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ghost World by Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics Books, 1997) is identified by: First collected edition, Fantagraphics, 1997, a limited signed and numbered HARDCOVER of 2,500 copies, approximately 80 pp., with Clowes's wraparound cover art and the green-and-black interior color scheme. The Eightball serialization (Fantagraphics, issues 11 to 18, June 1993 to March 1997) is the true first appearance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First collected edition, Fantagraphics, 1997, a limited signed and numbered HARDCOVER of 2,500 copies, approximately 80 pp., with Clowes's wraparound cover art and the green-and-black interior color scheme
- This 1997 limited hardcover is the true first book edition; the trade softcover did not appear until 1998
- Confirm the 1997 hardcover and its numbering rather than the later softcover
- Correct publisher/imprint: Fantagraphics Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Daniel Clowes |
| Publisher | Fantagraphics Books |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First collected edition, Fantagraphics, 1997, a limited signed and numbered HARDCOVER of 2,500 copies, approximately 80 pp., with Clowes's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First collected edition, Fantagraphics, 1997, a limited signed and numbered HARDCOVER of 2,500 copies, approximately 80 pp., with Clowes's wraparound cover art and the green-and-black interior color scheme. This 1997 limited hardcover is the true first book edition; the trade softcover did not appear until 1998. Confirm the 1997 hardcover and its numbering rather than the later softcover.

## Is this the true first?
The Eightball serialization (Fantagraphics, issues 11 to 18, June 1993 to March 1997) is the true first appearance. The 1997 Fantagraphics limited signed and numbered hardcover (2,500 copies) is the first book edition; the 1998 trade softcover and the later expanded Special Edition and 2001 film tie-in are all separate later issues.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The key distinction is format and date: the 1997 first edition is the limited hardcover, not a softcover. The widely circulated softcover is the 1998 trade printing and later; the Special Edition and film tie-ins are later still.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ghost World* by Daniel Clowes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ghost-world
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.