The points of issue
Story collection; the title story won the Hugo and Nebula. The first edition is a mass-market paperback original, Timescape/Pocket Books, 1981, with first printing stated on the copyright page. No trade hardcover was issued.
Is this the true first?
The US Timescape/Pocket paperback original is the true first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The only hardcover is the Science Fiction Book Club edition (Timescape/Simon and Schuster); it is a club edition, not the first, and carries no price on the jacket.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Sandkings a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Story collection; the title story won the Hugo and Nebula. The first edition is a mass-market paperback original, Timescape/Pocket Books, 1981, with first printing stated on the copyright page. No trade hardcover was issued.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Timescape/Pocket paperback original is the true first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The only hardcover is the Science Fiction Book Club edition (Timescape/Simon and Schuster); it is a club edition, not the first, and carries no price on the jacket.
I have a first edition of Sandkings — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.