# Is "Shanna" by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shanna by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss (Avon Books, 1977) is identified by: Avon mass-market paperback original, one of the early 'big book' Avon romance originals. The 1977 Avon paperback original is the true first; the mass-market-original format is itself the defining point, consistent with Woodiwiss building the paperback-original romance market.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Avon mass-market paperback original, one of the early 'big book' Avon romance originals
- The first printing is identified by the original cover price and a clean copyright page with no later-printing line
- The much-cited fold-out island map insert is associated with the title but is documented chiefly in later printings, so its presence is not a reliable first-printing point
- Publisher imprint reads Avon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathleen E. Woodiwiss |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Avon mass-market paperback original, one of the early 'big book' Avon romance originals |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Avon mass-market paperback original, one of the early 'big book' Avon romance originals. The first printing is identified by the original cover price and a clean copyright page with no later-printing line. The much-cited fold-out island map insert is associated with the title but is documented chiefly in later printings, so its presence is not a reliable first-printing point.

## Is this the true first?
The 1977 Avon paperback original is the true first; the mass-market-original format is itself the defining point, consistent with Woodiwiss building the paperback-original romance market.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the first printing by the original cover price and absence of a numbered printing line. Hardcover copies do appear in the trade, but they are uncommon and at least some are described by dealers as possible rebinds or later issues rather than a true hardcover first, so a hardcover should not be assumed to precede the paperback.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shanna* by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shanna
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.