# Is "Subterranean Gallery" by Richard Paul Russo a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Subterranean Gallery by Richard Paul Russo (Tor Books, 1989) is identified by: US Tor mass-market paperback original, 1989, ISBN 0-812-55259-8; the first printing is identified by a complete Tor number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The US Tor paperback original of 1989 is the true first edition, published directly into paperback.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Tor mass-market paperback original, 1989, ISBN 0-812-55259-8; the first printing is identified by a complete Tor number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- The novel was published directly into paperback, so this softcover is the true first edition; the wrappers carry a printed cover price that should be present rather than obscured
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Paul Russo |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Tor mass-market paperback original, 1989, ISBN 0-812-55259-8; the first printing is identified by a complete Tor number line ending in 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Tor mass-market paperback original, 1989, ISBN 0-812-55259-8; the first printing is identified by a complete Tor number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The novel was published directly into paperback, so this softcover is the true first edition; the wrappers carry a printed cover price that should be present rather than obscured.

## Is this the true first?
The US Tor paperback original of 1989 is the true first edition, published directly into paperback. It won the 1990 Philip K. Dick Award (given at Norwescon for works published in 1989) and was an Arthur C. Clarke Award finalist. The later UK edition appeared under the variant title 'The Subterranean Gallery'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The UK Grafton paperback of 1991 (titled 'The Subterranean Gallery', ISBN 0-586-21229-9) is a later, separate edition, not the true first; subsequent reissues are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Subterranean Gallery* by Richard Paul Russo a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/subterranean-gallery
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.