# Is "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hyperion by Dan Simmons (Doubleday, 1989) is identified by: Doubleday first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1. The US Doubleday trade hardcover is the true first, preceding the UK Headline edition (1990); Hugo Award winner.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1
- Bound in publisher's pale pink paper-covered boards over dark blue spine cloth lettered in gilt, [viii] plus 482 pages
- The first-state dust jacket carries cover art by Gary Ruddell and should retain its printed price on the flap (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dan Simmons |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1. Bound in publisher's pale pink paper-covered boards over dark blue spine cloth lettered in gilt, [viii] plus 482 pages. The first-state dust jacket carries cover art by Gary Ruddell and should retain its printed price on the flap (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
The US Doubleday trade hardcover is the true first, preceding the UK Headline edition (1990); Hugo Award winner. Later Easton Press and Subterranean Press leather/press printings are 'first thus,' not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Doubleday/Science Fiction Book Club edition is a distinct printing: no price on the jacket flap, a blind-stamped code (dot or square) on the rear board, smaller and lighter than the trade first, and sometimes combining Hyperion with The Fall of Hyperion in an omnibus. Very common.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hyperion* by Dan Simmons a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hyperion
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.