# Is "The Artificial Kid" by Bruce Sterling a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Artificial Kid by Bruce Sterling (Harper & Row, 1980) is identified by: Harper & Row, New York, 1980. The US Harper & Row hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harper & Row, New York, 1980
- Octavo in cloth-backed boards, 245 pages, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page accompanied by a complete descending number line ending in 1
- Sterling's second book, following Involution Ocean
- Priced dust jacket present on first-issue copies (printed price on the flap)
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bruce Sterling |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harper & Row, New York, 1980 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Harper & Row, New York, 1980. Octavo in cloth-backed boards, 245 pages, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page accompanied by a complete descending number line ending in 1. Sterling's second book, following Involution Ocean (1977). Priced dust jacket present on first-issue copies (printed price on the flap).

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row hardcover is the true first. A Pocket Books paperback appeared later as a reprint, not a simultaneous co-first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable; the first printing is identified by the stated 'First edition' with the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Artificial Kid* by Bruce Sterling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-artificial-kid
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.