# Is "Mysterium" by Robert Charles Wilson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mysterium by Robert Charles Wilson (Bantam Spectra, 1994) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra trade paperback original, April 1994 (ISBN 0-553-37365-X; 9780553373653), octavo in pictorial wrappers, 276 pages. The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (1994) is the true first; there was no true preceding US hardcover trade edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra trade paperback original, April 1994 (ISBN 0-553-37365-X; 9780553373653), octavo in pictorial wrappers, 276 pages
- The first printing is identified by the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with no added printing statement
- There is no dust jacket, as this was issued as a paperback original
- Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for 1994 (presented 1995)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Charles Wilson |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra trade paperback original, April 1994 (ISBN 0-553-37365-X; 9780553373653), octavo in pictorial wrappers, 276 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra trade paperback original, April 1994 (ISBN 0-553-37365-X; 9780553373653), octavo in pictorial wrappers, 276 pages. The first printing is identified by the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with no added printing statement. There is no dust jacket, as this was issued as a paperback original. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for 1994 (presented 1995).

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (1994) is the true first; there was no true preceding US hardcover trade edition. Winner of the Philip K. Dick Award for 1994 (presented 1995).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Listings tagged hardcover at the same ISBN are generally library-bound or rebound copies, not a separate first hardcover. Later reissues are reprints and lack the first-printing number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mysterium* by Robert Charles Wilson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mysterium
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.