# Is "Nova Swing" by M. John Harrison a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nova Swing by M. John Harrison (Gollancz, 2006) is identified by: First edition, first printing, Gollancz (Orion), London, 9 November 2006, hardcover in dust jacket, with the dust-jacket illustration by Dominic Harman. The UK Gollancz 2006 hardcover is the true first edition worldwide.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, Gollancz (Orion), London, 9 November 2006, hardcover in dust jacket, with the dust-jacket illustration by Dominic Harman
- Set in the same universe as Light
- An unclipped jacket carries the publisher's printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | M. John Harrison |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, Gollancz (Orion), London, 9 November 2006, hardcover in dust jacket, with the dust-jacket illustration by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, Gollancz (Orion), London, 9 November 2006, hardcover in dust jacket, with the dust-jacket illustration by Dominic Harman. Set in the same universe as Light. An unclipped jacket carries the publisher's printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Gollancz 2006 hardcover is the true first edition worldwide. The US Bantam Spectra edition appeared in 2007 (as a trade paperback) and was the Philip K. Dick Award-eligible US edition. The book won both the Arthur C. Clarke Award presented in 2007 (UK edition) and the Philip K. Dick Award presented in 2008 (US edition).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US Bantam Spectra 2007 edition is the first US edition; later printings and reissues are reprints. On the Gollancz first printing, confirm the earliest state of the printer's number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Nova Swing* by M. John Harrison a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/nova-swing
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.