# Is "The Dragonbone Chair" by Tad Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams (DAW Books, 1988) is identified by: True first is the DAW Books hardcover, New York, October 1988 (ISBN 0-8099-0003-3). Census claim confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the DAW Books hardcover, New York, October 1988 (ISBN 0-8099-0003-3)
- The copyright page states "First Printing, October, 1988" and carries DAW's ascending number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 — the 1 must be present
- Bound in tan boards with a cloth spine
- Priced jacket: the price should be present and unclipped at the front flap, with the ISBN at the rear flap
- The DAW mass-market paperback (ISBN 0-88677-384-9, 1989) is a later issue, not the first; because DAW is far better known as a paperback house, the 1988 hardcover is frequently overlooked
- Confirmed against several independent dealer descriptions quoting the same printing statement and number line
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tad Williams |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the DAW Books hardcover, New York, October 1988 (ISBN 0-8099-0003-3) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the DAW Books hardcover, New York, October 1988 (ISBN 0-8099-0003-3). The copyright page states "First Printing, October, 1988" and carries DAW's ascending number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 — the 1 must be present. Bound in tan boards with a cloth spine. Priced jacket: the price should be present and unclipped at the front flap, with the ISBN at the rear flap. The DAW mass-market paperback (ISBN 0-88677-384-9, 1989) is a later issue, not the first; because DAW is far better known as a paperback house, the 1988 hardcover is frequently overlooked. Confirmed against several independent dealer descriptions quoting the same printing statement and number line.

## Is this the true first?
Census claim confirmed. The US DAW hardcover (October 1988) is the world first. The first British edition followed from Legend (London) in 1989 (ISBN 0-7126-3427-4) and is collected separately as the first UK edition; a Legend paperback (0-09-970490-4) followed in 1990. Both the DAW and the Legend firsts are collected, with priority to the DAW.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Science Fiction Book Club issue is recorded for February 1989 (club catalogue number 14507). Club copies are identified in the usual way — no price at the jacket flap, club blind stamp to the rear board, and a smaller trim and lighter boards than the DAW trade issue. The 2024 Hodderscape new edition and the Astra/DAW deluxe hardcover are later "first thus" printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dragonbone Chair* by Tad Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dragonbone-chair
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.