# Is "The Damnation Game" by Clive Barker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Damnation Game by Clive Barker (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1985) is identified by: UK first (London, 1985, roughly 3,000-copy trade run) states first publication by George Weidenfeld and Nicolson. The UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition is the true first of Barker's first novel; the US Putnam edition (1987) is a later, slightly revised text.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first (London, 1985, roughly 3,000-copy trade run) states first publication by George Weidenfeld and Nicolson
- A signed, numbered limited of 250 copies also exists, bound in black cloth, issued without a dust jacket in a black cloth slipcase
- Publisher imprint reads Weidenfeld & Nicolson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Clive Barker |
| Publisher | Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first (London, 1985, roughly 3,000-copy trade run) states first publication by George Weidenfeld and Nicolson |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK first (London, 1985, roughly 3,000-copy trade run) states first publication by George Weidenfeld and Nicolson. A signed, numbered limited of 250 copies also exists, bound in black cloth, issued without a dust jacket in a black cloth slipcase.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition is the true first of Barker's first novel; the US Putnam edition (1987) is a later, slightly revised text. The 250-copy signed limited is the deluxe state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No true book-club issue of the UK first; later printings carry additional printing statements. Distinguish the 250-copy signed/numbered slipcased limited from the trade hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Damnation Game* by Clive Barker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-damnation-game
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.