# Is "Sandman: The Doll's House" by Neil Gaiman et al. a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sandman: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman et al. (DC Comics, 1990) is identified by: First trade paperback collecting Sandman 8-16, DC Comics, 1990, ISBN 0-930289-59-1 (9780930289591), with a foreword by Clive Barker. Single issues (Sandman 1 onward, beginning 1989) are the true first appearances and the key collectibles (especially issue 1, and issue 8 for the first appearance of Death).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade paperback collecting Sandman 8-16, DC Comics, 1990, ISBN 0-930289-59-1
- , with a foreword by Clive Barker
- First printing identified by the 1990 indicia with no later-printing statement and the original cover
- The ISBN 1-56389-016-9 found on many copies belongs to a later DC/Vertigo printing, not the 1990 first
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman et al. |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First trade paperback collecting Sandman 8-16, DC Comics, 1990, ISBN 0-930289-59-1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First trade paperback collecting Sandman 8-16, DC Comics, 1990, ISBN 0-930289-59-1 (9780930289591), with a foreword by Clive Barker. First printing identified by the 1990 indicia with no later-printing statement and the original cover. The ISBN 1-56389-016-9 found on many copies belongs to a later DC/Vertigo printing, not the 1990 first.

## Is this the true first?
Single issues (Sandman 1 onward, beginning 1989) are the true first appearances and the key collectibles (especially issue 1, and issue 8 for the first appearance of Death). The Doll's House was actually the first Sandman trade paperback published (1990), rushed out to meet a Rolling Stone advertising deadline; the better-known Preludes & Nocturnes collection followed in 1991. Early first-printing trades are scarce relative to later printings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later trade printings carry a later-printing statement in the indicia and the later ISBN 1-56389-016-9. First printings of the early Sandman trades are notably scarcer than reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sandman: The Doll's House* by Neil Gaiman et al. a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sandman-the-dolls-house
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.