# Is "Little, Big" by John Crowley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Little, Big by John Crowley (Bantam Books, 1981) is identified by: The 1981 Bantam edition was a trade-paperback original, not a hardcover. The true first is the US Bantam 1981 trade-paperback original.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The 1981 Bantam edition was a trade-paperback original, not a hardcover
- There was no simultaneous Bantam hardcover
- The first printing is identified on the copyright page; the wrappers and cover art are as issued
- Won the 1982 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Crowley |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The 1981 Bantam edition was a trade-paperback original, not a hardcover |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The 1981 Bantam edition was a trade-paperback original, not a hardcover. There was no simultaneous Bantam hardcover. The first printing is identified on the copyright page; the wrappers and cover art are as issued. Won the 1982 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the US Bantam 1981 trade-paperback original. The first edition in hardcover was the UK Gollancz edition of 1982, which dealers describe as the first British and first hardcover edition. A US hardcover did not appear until much later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Because the first US edition is itself a paperback original, hardcover claims for a 1981 'first' are mistaken. The genuine first is the 1981 Bantam paperback confirmed by the copyright-page first-printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Little, Big* by John Crowley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/little-big
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.