# Is "Imago" by Octavia E. Butler a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Imago by Octavia E. Butler (Warner Books, 1989) is identified by: Warner Books hardcover in cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First printing: May 1989' accompanied by a full number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The US Warner Books hardcover (1989) is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Warner Books hardcover in cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First printing: May 1989' accompanied by a full number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- The first-state dust jacket carries cover art by Wayne Barlowe with jacket design by Don Puckey, and should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Third and concluding volume of the Xenogenesis trilogy, following Dawn
- and Adulthood Rites
- Publisher imprint reads Warner Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Octavia E. Butler |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Warner Books hardcover in cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First printing: May 1989' accompanied by a full number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Warner Books hardcover in cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First printing: May 1989' accompanied by a full number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The first-state dust jacket carries cover art by Wayne Barlowe with jacket design by Don Puckey, and should retain its printed price on the front flap. Third and concluding volume of the Xenogenesis trilogy, following Dawn (1987) and Adulthood Rites (1988).

## Is this the true first?
The US Warner Books hardcover (1989) is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No standalone book-club edition is confirmed; the trilogy's book-club issue is the 1989 Guild America (SFBC) Xenogenesis omnibus, a single smaller-format volume with no printed jacket price and lacking the Warner 'First printing: May 1989' statement and number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Imago* by Octavia E. Butler a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/imago
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.