# Is "Lord Valentine's Castle" by Robert Silverberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg (Harper & Row, New York, 1980) is identified by: The trade first edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a complete number line ending in 1. The Harper & Row 1980 trade first edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The trade first edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a complete number line ending in 1
- First US printing, 1980 (ISBN 0-06-014026-7)
- Price printed on the front jacket flap
- Dust jacket art by Ron Walotsky; quarter cloth over boards
- A separate signed/numbered limited edition was issued by Harper & Row itself, limited to 250 copies in the publisher's slipcase
- Underwood-Miller did NOT publish this title; the related Majipoor novella The Desert of Stolen Dreams was a separate Underwood-Miller work and is sometimes confused with it
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row, New York

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Silverberg |
| Publisher | Harper & Row, New York |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The trade first edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a complete number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The trade first edition states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a complete number line ending in 1. First US printing, 1980 (ISBN 0-06-014026-7). Price printed on the front jacket flap. Dust jacket art by Ron Walotsky; quarter cloth over boards. A separate signed/numbered limited edition was issued by Harper & Row itself, limited to 250 copies in the publisher's slipcase. Underwood-Miller did NOT publish this title; the related Majipoor novella The Desert of Stolen Dreams was a separate Underwood-Miller work and is sometimes confused with it.

## Is this the true first?
The Harper & Row 1980 trade first edition is the true first. A simultaneous Harper & Row signed/numbered limited edition (250 copies, publisher's slipcase) was issued for collectors. There is no Underwood-Miller edition of this title; verify the Harper limitation leaf for the numbered state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club edition shows a gutter blindstamp and an unpriced 'Book Club Edition' jacket; it lacks both the Harper number line and the limitation leaf of the numbered Harper & Row issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lord Valentine's Castle* by Robert Silverberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lord-valentines-castle
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.