# Is "Strange Wine" by Harlan Ellison a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Strange Wine by Harlan Ellison (Harper & Row, 1978) is identified by: Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page (with no later-printing statement). US Harper & Row first hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page (with no later-printing statement)
- Published by Harper & Row in 1978 as Strange Wine: Fifteen New Stories from the Nightside of the World, a collection of fifteen stories
- The first edition is bound in brown paper-covered boards backed with brick-red cloth and lettered in gilt on the spine
- The wrap-around first-issue dust jacket carries artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon and should retain its original printed price on the front flap (price present rather than clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harlan Ellison |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page (with no later-printing statement) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page (with no later-printing statement). Published by Harper & Row in 1978 as Strange Wine: Fifteen New Stories from the Nightside of the World, a collection of fifteen stories. The first edition is bound in brown paper-covered boards backed with brick-red cloth and lettered in gilt on the spine. The wrap-around first-issue dust jacket carries artwork by Leo and Diane Dillon and should retain its original printed price on the front flap (price present rather than clipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row first hardcover is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Harper & Row book-club edition reprints the same text and jacket art but lacks the printed jacket price and typically shows a blind-stamped dimple on the lower rear board; its stated 'First Edition' line is absent or differs. Use the copyright-page statement, the brick-red cloth spine, and the priced Dillon jacket to confirm the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Strange Wine* by Harlan Ellison a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/strange-wine
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.