# Is "Swan Song" by Robert R. McCammon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon (Pocket Books, 1987) is identified by: Paperback original (PBO), June 1987, 956 pp, cover art by Rowena Morrill. The 1987 Pocket Books paperback original is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original (PBO), June 1987, 956 pp, cover art by Rowena Morrill
- The first printing carries a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page
- Co-winner of the 1987 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel
- Publisher imprint reads Pocket Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert R. McCammon |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original (PBO), June 1987, 956 pp, cover art by Rowena Morrill |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Paperback original (PBO), June 1987, 956 pp, cover art by Rowena Morrill. The first printing carries a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Co-winner of the 1987 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel.

## Is this the true first?
The 1987 Pocket Books paperback original is the true first edition. The Dark Harvest hardcover came in 1989 as the first hardcover (a later 'first thus'), not the first edition. Spine creasing is common given the bulk.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Pocket printings show a number line that no longer descends to 1. The 1989 Dark Harvest hardcover and its signed/limited states are the first hardcover but not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Swan Song* by Robert R. McCammon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/swan-song
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.