# Is "Solar Lottery" by Philip K. Dick a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick (Ace Books, 1955) is identified by: True first is the paperback original Ace Double D-103 (May 1955), bound dos-a-dos with Leigh Brackett's 'The Big Jump.' the printed price; 131 pages on the Dick side; cover art by Valigursky. The Ace paperback is the true first edition (no prior hardcover).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original Ace Double D-103 (May 1955), bound dos-a-dos with Leigh Brackett's 'The Big Jump.' the printed price
- 131 pages on the Dick side; cover art by Valigursky
- Dick's first published novel
- Bibliographic ref: Levack 38a
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip K. Dick |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original Ace Double D-103 (May 1955), bound dos-a-dos with Leigh Brackett's 'The Big Jump.' the printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original Ace Double D-103 (May 1955), bound dos-a-dos with Leigh Brackett's 'The Big Jump.' the printed price; 131 pages on the Dick side; cover art by Valigursky. Dick's first published novel. Bibliographic ref: Levack 38a.

## Is this the true first?
The Ace paperback is the true first edition (no prior hardcover). The UK edition was retitled 'World of Chance' (Rich & Cowan, 1956) and uses an earlier, uncut text (Dick had cut six passages for Ace), making it a distinct text but later in time. The D-103 double is the precedent first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Distinguish from later standalone Ace reprints and from the UK 'World of Chance.' Only the dos-a-dos D-103 double with 'The Big Jump' is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Solar Lottery* by Philip K. Dick a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/solar-lottery
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.