# Is "God Emperor of Dune" by Frank Herbert a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1981) is identified by: CENSUS CLAIM CORRECTED: the batch note asserted the trade edition was 'preceded by' the 750-copy signed limited. US original, and the Putnam issue is the first appearance in book form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- CENSUS CLAIM CORRECTED: the batch note asserted the trade edition was 'preceded by' the 750-copy signed limited
- Currey's bibliography of first printings records two printings with NO PRIORITY between them, so neither should be described as preceding the other
- (A) The limited: 750 copies signed by Herbert on the limitation leaf and numbered, bound in black cloth, issued WITHOUT a dust jacket in a matching black cloth slipcase
- (B) The trade: no statement of printing on the copyright page and no later-printing statements — the copyright year 1981 stands alone, with ISBN 0-399-12593-0 present
- Bound in quarter black cloth with gilt spine lettering over grey boards
- 411 pp., octavo; pictorial dust jacket designed by Brad Holland, priced at the flap
- Publisher imprint reads G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frank Herbert |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | CENSUS CLAIM CORRECTED: the batch note asserted the trade edition was 'preceded by' the 750-copy signed limited |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
CENSUS CLAIM CORRECTED: the batch note asserted the trade edition was 'preceded by' the 750-copy signed limited. Currey's bibliography of first printings records two printings with NO PRIORITY between them, so neither should be described as preceding the other. (A) The limited: 750 copies signed by Herbert on the limitation leaf and numbered, bound in black cloth, issued WITHOUT a dust jacket in a matching black cloth slipcase. (B) The trade: no statement of printing on the copyright page and no later-printing statements — the copyright year 1981 stands alone, with ISBN 0-399-12593-0 present. Bound in quarter black cloth with gilt spine lettering over grey boards; 411 pp., octavo; pictorial dust jacket designed by Brad Holland, priced at the flap. Dealers additionally report the Putnam flap date code 8105 at the lower front flap of first-state jackets; treat that as a single-source point and confirm the copyright page first.

## Is this the true first?
US original, and the Putnam issue is the first appearance in book form. Within Putnam 1981 the signed limited and the trade are both collected and are of equal standing — no priority is established between them, and the census's precedence claim is not supported. Victor Gollancz, London, 1981 is the first UK edition and follows the US; it is separately collected but is not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club tells are documented in the reference bibliographies for this title beyond the standard period conventions. Because the trade first has no printing statement to read, identification rests on the absence of any later-printing line, the 0-399-12593-0 ISBN, the quarter-black-cloth-over-grey-boards binding, and a Holland jacket priced at the flap; later Putnam printings add a printing statement or number line. The limited is unmistakable — signed limitation leaf, black cloth, no jacket, slipcase.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *God Emperor of Dune* by Frank Herbert a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/god-emperor-of-dune
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.