# Is "The 13th Immortal" by Robert Silverberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The 13th Immortal by Robert Silverberg (Ace, 1957) is identified by: Ace Double D-223 paperback original, with its printed price, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with This Fortress World by James E. US Ace Double paperback original is the true first; this is Silverberg's first novel in book form, appearing only in this Ace Double with no separate hardcover first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace Double D-223 paperback original, with its printed price, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with This Fortress World by James E. Gunn, the Gunn side abridged from the 1955 Gnome Press text
- Cover art by Edward Valigursky for the Silverberg side and Ed Emshwiller for the Gunn side
- Issued in spring 1957
- Publisher imprint reads Ace
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Silverberg |
| Publisher | Ace |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace Double D-223 paperback original, with its printed price, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with This Fortress World by James E. Gunn, the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ace Double D-223 paperback original, with its printed price, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with This Fortress World by James E. Gunn, the Gunn side abridged from the 1955 Gnome Press text. Cover art by Edward Valigursky for the Silverberg side and Ed Emshwiller for the Gunn side. Issued in spring 1957.

## Is this the true first?
US Ace Double paperback original is the true first; this is Silverberg's first novel in book form, appearing only in this Ace Double with no separate hardcover first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; there was no hardcover issue of The 13th Immortal, so the D-223 Ace Double is the sole first form.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The 13th Immortal* by Robert Silverberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-13th-immortal
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.