The points of issue
First book edition: Victor Gollancz (VG Graphics imprint), London, 1992, collecting and revising the serialization that ran in The Face. Issued the same year in both a pictorial-board hardcover (ISBN 057505140X; no dust jacket was issued) and a softcover (ISBN 0575052848), with an introduction by Jonathan Carroll added for the book. The US Dark Horse edition also appeared in 1992. First printing identified by indicia with no later-printing statement.
Is this the true first?
Originally serialized in The Face magazine beginning in 1989; the 1992 Gollancz/VG Graphics book is the first book edition, with a near-simultaneous US Dark Horse edition the same year. The expanded Dark Horse edition (2007) is 'first thus.'
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Signal to Noise a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First book edition: Victor Gollancz (VG Graphics imprint), London, 1992, collecting and revising the serialization that ran in The Face. Issued the same year in both a pictorial-board hardcover (ISBN 057505140X; no dust jacket was issued) and a softcover (ISBN 0575052848), with an introduction by Jonathan Carroll added for the book. The US Dark Horse edition also appeared in 1992. First printing identified by indicia with no later-printing statement.
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. Originally serialized in The Face magazine beginning in 1989; the 1992 Gollancz/VG Graphics book is the first book edition, with a near-simultaneous US Dark Horse edition the same year. The expanded Dark Horse edition (2007) is 'first thus.'
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition.
I have a first edition of Signal to Noise — 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.