# Is "Smoke and Mirrors" by Neil Gaiman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (Avon Books, 1998) is identified by: The US Avon Books hardcover (November 1998) is the true first. The US Avon hardcover precedes the UK Headline edition (1999).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Avon Books hardcover (November 1998) is the true first
- The first printing carries a stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line counting down to 1, and the unclipped jacket shows the printed first-issue price
- Dust-jacket photograph by J. K. Potter
- Gaiman's first major solo story collection
- Publisher imprint reads Avon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Avon Books hardcover (November 1998) is the true first |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The US Avon Books hardcover (November 1998) is the true first. The first printing carries a stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line counting down to 1, and the unclipped jacket shows the printed first-issue price. Dust-jacket photograph by J. K. Potter. Gaiman's first major solo story collection.

## Is this the true first?
The US Avon hardcover precedes the UK Headline edition (1999). The Headline edition is later and expanded, adding several stories not in the US first, so it is a separate, subsequent text rather than the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition for the first printing; later printings advance the number line and drop the stated 'First Edition.' The expanded UK Headline edition is not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Smoke and Mirrors* by Neil Gaiman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/smoke-and-mirrors
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.