# Is "Merchanter's Luck" by C.J. Cherryh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Merchanter's Luck by C.J. Cherryh (DAW Books, 1982) is identified by: US DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW Collectors No. The US DAW paperback original (July 1982) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW Collectors No
- 488, July 1982 (ISBN 0-87997-745-0), roughly 208 pages, with cover art by Barclay Shaw
- The first printing states First printing on the copyright page and carries the DAW collector number 488
- An Alliance-Union / Company Wars novel
- A first-issue copy retains its printed cover price
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW Collectors No |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW Collectors No. 488, July 1982 (ISBN 0-87997-745-0), roughly 208 pages, with cover art by Barclay Shaw. The first printing states First printing on the copyright page and carries the DAW collector number 488. An Alliance-Union / Company Wars novel. A first-issue copy retains its printed cover price.

## Is this the true first?
The US DAW paperback original (July 1982) is the true first. No Phantasia Press or trade hardcover first exists for this title; the only period hardcover is the SFBC book-club edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club hardcover is a later, separate club issue: it lacks any printed cover price and carries a blind gutter code on a rear leaf, unlike the priced DAW No. 488 paperback.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Merchanter's Luck* by C.J. Cherryh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/merchanters-luck
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.