# Is "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space" by Carl Sagan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan (Random House, 1994) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a number line whose lowest number is 2, the Random House first-printing convention for this period. The US Random House edition is the true first and precedes the UK (Headline) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a number line whose lowest number is 2, the Random House first-printing convention for this period
- Black cloth with gilt spine; profusely illustrated with color plates
- ISBN 0-679-43841-6
- First-issue jacket with the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Carl Sagan |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a number line whose lowest number is 2, the Random House first-printing convention for this… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a number line whose lowest number is 2, the Random House first-printing convention for this period. Black cloth with gilt spine; profusely illustrated with color plates; 429 pp; ISBN 0-679-43841-6. First-issue jacket with the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House edition is the true first and precedes the UK (Headline) edition. Sagan died in 1996; signed copies are scarce but carry no bibliographic priority.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and trade-paperback issues lack the price-printed hardcover jacket, may carry a rear-board blindstamp, and do not state 'First Edition.' The stated 'First Edition' with a number line bottoming at 2 and the price-printed jacket mark the trade first. Note the trade-paperback issue carries a different ISBN (0-679-76486-1).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space* by Carl Sagan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pale-blue-dot-a-vision-of-the-human-future-in-space
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.