# Is "The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dying Earth by Jack Vance (Hillman Periodicals, 1950) is identified by: First edition is the Hillman Periodicals paperback original, 1950, issued as Hillman Books number 41 with a the printed price cover price; small octavo in pictorial wrappers. The 1950 Hillman paperback is the true first; the first hardcover came decades later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Hillman Periodicals paperback original, 1950, issued as Hillman Books number 41 with a the printed price cover price; small octavo in pictorial wrappers
- Vance's first book
- No preceding hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Hillman Periodicals
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Vance |
| Publisher | Hillman Periodicals |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Hillman Periodicals paperback original, 1950, issued as Hillman Books number 41 with a the printed price cover price… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Hillman Periodicals paperback original, 1950, issued as Hillman Books number 41 with a the printed price cover price; small octavo in pictorial wrappers. Vance's first book. No preceding hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
The 1950 Hillman paperback is the true first; the first hardcover came decades later. Survival of the fragile pulp-paper paperback in collectible condition is the scarcity driver.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later paperback reprints (Lancer and others) and modern hardcovers are not the first. Confirm the Hillman Periodicals imprint, the 'Hillman Books 41' designation, and the 1950 date.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dying Earth* by Jack Vance a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dying-earth
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.