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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Inheritor by C.J. Cherryh (DAW Books, 1996) is identified by: DAW Books (New York) hardcover, 1996, DAW Collectors number 1018, ISBN 0-88677-689-9. US DAW hardcover (1996) is the true first; the DAW mass-market paperback (ISBN 0-88677-728-3) did not follow until February 1997.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- DAW Books (New York) hardcover, 1996, DAW Collectors number 1018, ISBN 0-88677-689-9
- First printing carries a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Third volume of the Foreigner sequence
- The first-state dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (a price-clipped flap does not by itself unmake a first)
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | DAW Books (New York) hardcover, 1996, DAW Collectors number 1018, ISBN 0-88677-689-9 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
DAW Books (New York) hardcover, 1996, DAW Collectors number 1018, ISBN 0-88677-689-9. First printing carries a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Third volume of the Foreigner sequence. The first-state dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (a price-clipped flap does not by itself unmake a first).

## Is this the true first?
US DAW hardcover (1996) is the true first; the DAW mass-market paperback (ISBN 0-88677-728-3) did not follow until February 1997.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Science Fiction Book Club hardcover exists; club copies are identifiable by the blind stamp / gutter code and the absence of a printed price on the jacket flap, and lack the DAW number line ending in 1.

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