# Is "The Book of Skulls" by Robert Silverberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1972) is identified by: The first printing carries the capital 'A' on the copyright page, Scribner's first-edition marker for this period, typically with a manufacturer/date code line (for example 'A-12.71[C]'). The US Scribner first edition is the true first; identify it by the 'A' on the copyright page.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing carries the capital 'A' on the copyright page, Scribner's first-edition marker for this period, typically with a manufacturer/date code line (for example 'A-12.71[C]')
- Price printed on the front jacket flap
- Issued the same year as Dying Inside
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Silverberg |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing carries the capital 'A' on the copyright page, Scribner's first-edition marker for this period, typically with a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The first printing carries the capital 'A' on the copyright page, Scribner's first-edition marker for this period, typically with a manufacturer/date code line (for example 'A-12.71[C]'). Price printed on the front jacket flap. Issued the same year as Dying Inside.

## Is this the true first?
The US Scribner first edition is the true first; identify it by the 'A' on the copyright page. Later paperback and UK editions follow.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Club and later printings drop the 'A' on the copyright page; absence of the 'A' indicates it is not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Book of Skulls* by Robert Silverberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-book-of-skulls
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.