Skip to main content

First-Edition Identification · Harlan Ellison

Is My Shatterday a First Edition?

Houghton Mifflin, 1980

The points of issue

Stated First Edition with date on the copyright page per Houghton Mifflin practice; original dust jacket priced. Collection of stories with title novella.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Houghton Mifflin first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

US Houghton Mifflin first hardcover is the true first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book club edition lacks the jacket price and shows a blind-stamp on the rear board.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Shatterday a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: Stated First Edition with date on the copyright page per Houghton Mifflin practice; original dust jacket priced. Collection of stories with title novella.

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. US Houghton Mifflin first hardcover is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Book club edition lacks the jacket price and shows a blind-stamp on the rear board.

I have a first edition of Shatterday — 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.

Keep identifying