The points of issue
The first edition is the Ace mass-market paperback original (December 1983). It is a paperback original, so there is no contemporaneous hardcover. The first hardcover was the Mark V. Ziesing edition issued years later, illustrated, with 500 signed/numbered copies.
Is this the true first?
The 1983 Ace paperback original is the true first. The Ziesing hardcover (issued 1989/1990) is the first hardcover, a later 'first thus,' not the first edition. World Fantasy Award winner; Philip K. Dick Award winner.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is the issue. The trap is the much later Ziesing hardcover being offered as 'the first' — it is the first hardcover but not the first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Anubis Gates a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: The first edition is the Ace mass-market paperback original (December 1983). It is a paperback original, so there is no contemporaneous hardcover. The first hardcover was the Mark V. Ziesing edition issued years later, illustrated, with 500 signed/numbered copies.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The 1983 Ace paperback original is the true first. The Ziesing hardcover (issued 1989/1990) is the first hardcover, a later 'first thus,' not the first edition. World Fantasy Award winner; Philip K. Dick Award winner.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition is the issue. The trap is the much later Ziesing hardcover being offered as 'the first' — it is the first hardcover but not the first edition.
I have a first edition of The Anubis Gates — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.