# Is "Revolt on Alpha C" by Robert Silverberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Revolt on Alpha C by Robert Silverberg (Thomas Y. Crowell, 1955) is identified by: Crowell hardcover, 1955, the true first: an illustrated juvenile science fiction novel of roughly 148 pages, about 21 cm tall. The US Thomas Y.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Thomas Y. Crowell hardcover, 1955, the true first: an illustrated juvenile science fiction novel of roughly 148 pages, about 21 cm tall
- It is Silverberg's first published book
- The first issue is bound in publisher's cloth and carries the original pictorial dust jacket; a correct copy retains the printed price on the jacket flap
- Publisher imprint reads Thomas Y. Crowell
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Silverberg |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Thomas Y. Crowell hardcover, 1955, the true first: an illustrated juvenile science fiction novel of roughly 148 pages, about 21 cm tall |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Thomas Y. Crowell hardcover, 1955, the true first: an illustrated juvenile science fiction novel of roughly 148 pages, about 21 cm tall. It is Silverberg's first published book. The first issue is bound in publisher's cloth and carries the original pictorial dust jacket; a correct copy retains the printed price on the jacket flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Thomas Y. Crowell first hardcover (1955) is the true first. It later appeared in paperback (Scholastic and other imprints); those are reprints, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition of the first was issued. The later Scholastic and other softcover printings are reprints, not club issues, and lack the Crowell hardcover binding and jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Revolt on Alpha C* by Robert Silverberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/revolt-on-alpha-c
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.