# Is "Heavy Time" by C.J. Cherryh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Heavy Time by C.J. Cherryh (Warner/Questar, 1991) is identified by: Warner hardcover under the Questar Science Fiction imprint; the copyright page states First Printing: June 1991 with the number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The US Warner hardcover (June 1991) is the true first; L.W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Warner hardcover under the Questar Science Fiction imprint; the copyright page states First Printing: June 1991 with the number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- Octavo in boards, 330 pages, with cover art by Don Maitz; the priced first-state jacket should retain its printed price on the flap
- First book of the Company Wars (Devil to the Belt) sequence
- Publisher imprint reads Warner/Questar
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | Warner/Questar |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Warner hardcover under the Questar Science Fiction imprint; the copyright page states First Printing: June 1991 with the number line 10 9 8… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Warner hardcover under the Questar Science Fiction imprint; the copyright page states First Printing: June 1991 with the number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Octavo in boards, 330 pages, with cover art by Don Maitz; the priced first-state jacket should retain its printed price on the flap. First book of the Company Wars (Devil to the Belt) sequence.

## Is this the true first?
The US Warner hardcover (June 1991) is the true first; L.W. Currey lists the Warner printing as the first edition. An Easton Press signed leather limited was issued at about the same time as a separate collector's issue, and a UK New English Library edition also appeared in 1991 but does not precede the Warner printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; SFBC copies are typically smaller, lack the stated First Printing line, and carry a jacket without a printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Heavy Time* by C.J. Cherryh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/heavy-time
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.