# Is "The Ballad of Beta-2" by Samuel R. Delany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ballad of Beta-2 by Samuel R. Delany (Ace Books, 1965) is identified by: Ace Double M-121, 1965; a paperback original in pictorial wrappers, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with Emil Petaja's 'Alpha Yes, Terra No!', with the M-121 catalog number on the cover. US Ace Double M-121 (1965) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace Double M-121, 1965; a paperback original in pictorial wrappers, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with Emil Petaja's 'Alpha Yes, Terra No!', with the M-121 catalog number on the cover
- Delany's text runs 96 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel R. Delany |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace Double M-121, 1965; a paperback original in pictorial wrappers, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with Emil Petaja's 'Alpha Yes, Terra No!'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ace Double M-121, 1965; a paperback original in pictorial wrappers, bound tete-beche (dos-a-dos) with Emil Petaja's 'Alpha Yes, Terra No!', with the M-121 catalog number on the cover. Delany's text runs 96 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US Ace Double M-121 (1965) is the true first. The first standalone edition did not appear until 1971, and a hardcover edition came only much later; the Ace Double wrappered original precedes all of these.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ballad of Beta-2* by Samuel R. Delany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ballad-of-beta-2
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.