# Is "Strange Toys" by Patricia Geary a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Strange Toys by Patricia Geary (Bantam Spectra, 1987) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, first printing June 1987, with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon and the number line on the copyright page ending in '1'. US Bantam Spectra paperback original, 1987, is the true first; there was no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, first printing June 1987, with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon and the number line on the copyright page ending in '1'
- Issued as a paperback original with the printed cover price present
- An advance uncorrected proof of this first edition was also produced and precedes the finished paperback as a pre-publication state
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patricia Geary |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, first printing June 1987, with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon and the number line on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, first printing June 1987, with cover art by Leo and Diane Dillon and the number line on the copyright page ending in '1'. Issued as a paperback original with the printed cover price present. An advance uncorrected proof of this first edition was also produced and precedes the finished paperback as a pre-publication state.

## Is this the true first?
US Bantam Spectra paperback original, 1987, is the true first; there was no preceding hardcover. Winner of the 1988 Philip K. Dick Award for the 1987 publication year. This was Geary's second book, following the novel Living in Ether (1982).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reissues (for example the 1989 Bantam printing) are reprints and carry a number line that no longer ends in '1'.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Strange Toys* by Patricia Geary a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/strange-toys
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.