# Is "Outlander (signed/limited)" by Diana Gabaldon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Outlander (signed/limited) by Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte Press, 1991) is identified by: Gabaldon's debut appeared in 1991 under two titles: Delacorte issued it in the US as Outlander, while Century issued it in the UK (and Australia/New Zealand) as Cross Stitch in a small print run. True-first precedence between the US Outlander and the UK Cross Stitch is genuinely close and debated: US rights sold first, but both appeared on or about 1 June 1991 and the London printing may have preceded the US one.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gabaldon's debut appeared in 1991 under two titles: Delacorte issued it in the US as Outlander, while Century issued it in the UK (and Australia/New Zealand) as Cross Stitch in a small print run
- Beyond the trade first, collectors track signed first printings and the scarce advance states: a US uncorrected proof / advance reading copy in printed wrappers, and a UK Cross Stitch uncorrected proof reported in a numbered limitation of about 250 copies
- Proofs are wrappered, never jacketed hardcovers
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Diana Gabaldon |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gabaldon's debut appeared in 1991 under two titles: Delacorte issued it in the US as Outlander, while Century issued it in the UK (and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Gabaldon's debut appeared in 1991 under two titles: Delacorte issued it in the US as Outlander, while Century issued it in the UK (and Australia/New Zealand) as Cross Stitch in a small print run. Beyond the trade first, collectors track signed first printings and the scarce advance states: a US uncorrected proof / advance reading copy in printed wrappers, and a UK Cross Stitch uncorrected proof reported in a numbered limitation of about 250 copies. Proofs are wrappered, never jacketed hardcovers.

## Is this the true first?
True-first precedence between the US Outlander and the UK Cross Stitch is genuinely close and debated: US rights sold first, but both appeared on or about 1 June 1991 and the London printing may have preceded the US one. Catalogue both as co-firsts of the work rather than asserting one precedes the other. For a signed first printing, confirm a complete number line (1 through 10) on the copyright page; the numbered Cross Stitch proof is the scarcest collectible state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club concern. The practical risk is a later printing signed at a tour event being sold as a 'signed first' — verify the full number line on the true first printing, since a signature alone does not make a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Outlander (signed/limited)* by Diana Gabaldon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/outlander-signed-limited
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.