# Is "The Abyss (novelization)" by Orson Scott Card a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Abyss (novelization) by Orson Scott Card (Pocket Books, 1989) is identified by: Pocket Books mass-market paperback original (published June 1989), first printing per the full number line, running 363 pages. US Pocket paperback original (June 1989) is the true first; the UK Legend hardcover (London, 1989) is the first hardcover edition but follows the paperback.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Pocket Books mass-market paperback original (published June 1989), first printing per the full number line, running 363 pages
- Written from James Cameron's screenplay; the text includes a short afterword by Cameron and a longer afterword by Card, a first-issue textual feature carried in this original edition
- Publisher imprint reads Pocket Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Orson Scott Card |
| Publisher | Pocket Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Pocket Books mass-market paperback original (published June 1989), first printing per the full number line, running 363 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Pocket Books mass-market paperback original (published June 1989), first printing per the full number line, running 363 pages. Written from James Cameron's screenplay; the text includes a short afterword by Cameron and a longer afterword by Card, a first-issue textual feature carried in this original edition.

## Is this the true first?
US Pocket paperback original (June 1989) is the true first; the UK Legend hardcover (London, 1989) is the first hardcover edition but follows the paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None. Later reissues reset the number line and may drop or alter the paired afterwords.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Abyss (novelization)* by Orson Scott Card a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-abyss-novelization
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.