# Is "The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester (Shasta Publishers, 1953) is identified by: Blue quarter-cloth spine lettered in gilt over dark red paper-covered boards lettered in white, with black topstain; copyright page states 'First Edition'; 250 pp; priced dust jacket with art by Martin Herbstman; printed by H. US Shasta 1953 is the true first book edition (the text first appeared serialized in Galaxy, Jan-Mar 1952).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Blue quarter-cloth spine lettered in gilt over dark red paper-covered boards lettered in white, with black topstain; copyright page states 'First Edition'
- 250 pp; priced dust jacket with art by Martin Herbstman; printed by H. Wolff
- No statement of a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Shasta Publishers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alfred Bester |
| Publisher | Shasta Publishers |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Blue quarter-cloth spine lettered in gilt over dark red paper-covered boards lettered in white, with black topstain; copyright page states… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Blue quarter-cloth spine lettered in gilt over dark red paper-covered boards lettered in white, with black topstain; copyright page states 'First Edition'; 250 pp; priced dust jacket with art by Martin Herbstman; printed by H. Wolff. No statement of a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Shasta 1953 is the true first book edition (the text first appeared serialized in Galaxy, Jan-Mar 1952). A small group of subscriber copies were signed by Bester on the front free endpaper. The UK Sidgwick & Jackson edition (1953) is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Watch for the Shasta second printing, whose copyright page reads 'Second Edition' (still the original publisher, but not the first printing) and lacks the 'First Edition' statement. Later Signet/Berkley paperbacks and any club reprint are not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Demolished Man* by Alfred Bester a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-demolished-man
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.