# Is "The Eyes of the Overworld" by Jack Vance a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Eyes of the Overworld by Jack Vance (Ace Books, 1966) is identified by: First edition is the Ace paperback original, catalog number Ace M-149 (NOT F-377), 1966, with a the printed price cover price and cover art by Jack Gaughan. The 1966 Ace M-149 paperback is the true first of this Dying Earth (Cugel) book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Ace paperback original, catalog number Ace M-149 (NOT F-377), 1966, with a the printed price cover price and cover art by Jack Gaughan
- Paperback original with no preceding hardcover
- The Cugel the Clever sequel in the Dying Earth sequence
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Vance |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Ace paperback original, catalog number Ace M-149 (NOT F-377), 1966, with a the printed price cover price and cover art… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Ace paperback original, catalog number Ace M-149 (NOT F-377), 1966, with a the printed price cover price and cover art by Jack Gaughan. Paperback original with no preceding hardcover. The Cugel the Clever sequel in the Dying Earth sequence.

## Is this the true first?
The 1966 Ace M-149 paperback is the true first of this Dying Earth (Cugel) book. The first hardcover came much later. Paperback-original status is the key point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The traps are later Ace reprints (verify the M-149 catalog number and the printed price) and the much later collected hardcovers.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Eyes of the Overworld* by Jack Vance a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-eyes-of-the-overworld
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.