The points of issue
Ace mass-market paperback original, Ace number F-427, pictorial wraps, cover and interior art by Jack Gaughan, original forty-cent cover price. Paperback original with no preceding hardcover. The catalog number F-427 printed on the cover and spine identifies the issue.
Is this the true first?
True first is the Ace paperback original of 1967 (F-427). The Victor Gollancz UK hardcover of 1968 is later and notably restores a chapter that the Ace text omits, but the Ace paperback remains the true first edition. Won the 1967 Nebula Award for Best Novel, tied with Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No paperback book-club edition. Later Ace printings carry a changed cover price and a different catalog number.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Einstein Intersection a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Ace mass-market paperback original, Ace number F-427, pictorial wraps, cover and interior art by Jack Gaughan, original forty-cent cover price. Paperback original with no preceding hardcover. The catalog number F-427 printed on the cover and spine identifies the issue.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True first is the Ace paperback original of 1967 (F-427). The Victor Gollancz UK hardcover of 1968 is later and notably restores a chapter that the Ace text omits, but the Ace paperback remains the true first edition. Won the 1967 Nebula Award for Best Novel, tied with Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Alg
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No paperback book-club edition. Later Ace printings carry a changed cover price and a different catalog number.
I have a first edition of The Einstein Intersection — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.