# Is "Growing Up Weightless" by John M. Ford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Growing Up Weightless by John M. Ford (Bantam Spectra, 1993) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, October 1993 (ISBN 0-553-37306-4), issued as a Spectra Special Edition; first printing indicated by the number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page. The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (1993) is the true first; there was no preceding hardcover, so a first-issue paperback with the down-to-1 number line is the earliest obtainable form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, October 1993 (ISBN 0-553-37306-4), issued as a Spectra Special Edition; first printing indicated by the number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page
- Wraps carry cover art by Pamela Lee, with the printed cover price present at the lower spine/back panel
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John M. Ford |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, October 1993 (ISBN 0-553-37306-4), issued as a Spectra Special Edition; first printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, October 1993 (ISBN 0-553-37306-4), issued as a Spectra Special Edition; first printing indicated by the number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page. Wraps carry cover art by Pamela Lee, with the printed cover price present at the lower spine/back panel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (1993) is the true first; there was no preceding hardcover, so a first-issue paperback with the down-to-1 number line is the earliest obtainable form. Co-winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for 1993 (presented 1994), tied with Jack Womack's Elvissey.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Long out of print, the title was reissued by Tor/Macmillan in 2022 as part of the estate-sanctioned program to bring Ford's work back into print (which began in 2020 with The Dragon Waiting). Any Tor-imprint copy is a later edition, not the 1993 first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Growing Up Weightless* by John M. Ford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/growing-up-weightless
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.