# Is "Marooned in Realtime" by Vernor Vinge a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge (Bluejay Books, 1986) is identified by: US Bluejay Books hardcover; the copyright page carries the printing statement 'First Bluejay Printing: September 1986'. US Bluejay Books hardcover (September 1986) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bluejay Books hardcover; the copyright page carries the printing statement 'First Bluejay Printing: September 1986'
- Publisher's cloth binding with the spine titling stamped in contrasting ink
- 270 pages, octavo
- First-issue pictorial dust jacket with cover art by Tom Kidd and the publisher's printed price present on the front flap (present, not clipped, on a first-issue jacket)
- Publisher imprint reads Bluejay Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Vernor Vinge |
| Publisher | Bluejay Books |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bluejay Books hardcover; the copyright page carries the printing statement 'First Bluejay Printing: September 1986' |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Bluejay Books hardcover; the copyright page carries the printing statement 'First Bluejay Printing: September 1986'. Publisher's cloth binding with the spine titling stamped in contrasting ink; 270 pages, octavo. First-issue pictorial dust jacket with cover art by Tom Kidd and the publisher's printed price present on the front flap (present, not clipped, on a first-issue jacket).

## Is this the true first?
US Bluejay Books hardcover (September 1986) is the true first. Second book in the Realtime/Bobble sequence (following The Peace War). Issued among the very last Bluejay titles before the firm folded; distribution was handled through St. Martin's, so first-issue jackets and boards may carry St. Martin's/Bluejay International distribution notes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A simultaneous or near-simultaneous Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; club copies typically lack the 'First Bluejay Printing' statement, carry a blind gutter-code dot on the rear board, are printed on lighter bulked paper, and bear a jacket with no printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Marooned in Realtime* by Vernor Vinge a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/marooned-in-realtime
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.