# Is "The Dark Side of the Sun" by Terry Pratchett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett (Colin Smythe, 1976) is identified by: First UK edition published 10 May 1976 by Colin Smythe in a run of only 921 copies; Pratchett's second published novel and an early science-fiction work, very scarce. UK Colin Smythe true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition published 10 May 1976 by Colin Smythe in a run of only 921 copies
- Pratchett's second published novel and an early science-fiction work, very scarce
- Bound in red cloth with gilt titling to the spine, in the publisher's dust jacket illustrated by the author
- The first-state jacket carries its printed price to the upper front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Colin Smythe
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Terry Pratchett |
| Publisher | Colin Smythe |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition published 10 May 1976 by Colin Smythe in a run of only 921 copies |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition published 10 May 1976 by Colin Smythe in a run of only 921 copies; Pratchett's second published novel and an early science-fiction work, very scarce. Bound in red cloth with gilt titling to the spine, in the publisher's dust jacket illustrated by the author. The first-state jacket carries its printed price to the upper front flap.

## Is this the true first?
UK Colin Smythe true first. The US St. Martin's Press edition followed in June 1976, not 1977; its 1,525 copies were printed as part of the same Smythe print run with the American imprint on the title page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings differ.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dark Side of the Sun* by Terry Pratchett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dark-side-of-the-sun
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.