# Is "Synners" by Pat Cadigan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Synners by Pat Cadigan (Bantam Spectra, 1991) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1991. The US Bantam Spectra 1991 paperback original is the first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1991
- First printing identified by the full descending number line ending in '1' on the copyright page (standard Bantam first-printing convention)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Pat Cadigan |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1991 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1991. First printing identified by the full descending number line ending in '1' on the copyright page (standard Bantam first-printing convention).

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra 1991 paperback original is the first edition. A UK HarperCollins/Grafton edition (also 1991) was the first hardcover; the two appeared the same year, so strict precedence is not certain, but the US paperback original is the recognized first. Winner of the 1992 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition is noted; later HarperVoyager and Gollancz SF Masterworks reissues are reprints ('first thus').

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Synners* by Pat Cadigan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/synners
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.