# Is "The Faded Sun: Kutath" by C.J. Cherryh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Faded Sun: Kutath by C.J. Cherryh (Nelson Doubleday / SFBC, 1979) is identified by: The true first edition is the Science Fiction Book Club hardcover issued by Nelson Doubleday in 1979; the first printing carries Doubleday gutter code J 39 on page 279. The Nelson Doubleday SFBC hardcover (1979) precedes the DAW paperback (1980) and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition is the Science Fiction Book Club hardcover issued by Nelson Doubleday in 1979; the first printing carries Doubleday gutter code J 39 on page 279
- The DAW paperback (UE1516, DAW No
- 372) did not appear until 1980
- Faded Sun trilogy vol
- Publisher imprint reads Nelson Doubleday / SFBC
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | Nelson Doubleday / SFBC |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition is the Science Fiction Book Club hardcover issued by Nelson Doubleday in 1979; the first printing carries Doubleday… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition is the Science Fiction Book Club hardcover issued by Nelson Doubleday in 1979; the first printing carries Doubleday gutter code J 39 on page 279. The DAW paperback (UE1516, DAW No. 372) did not appear until 1980. Faded Sun trilogy vol. 3.

## Is this the true first?
The Nelson Doubleday SFBC hardcover (1979) precedes the DAW paperback (1980) and is the true first. This is not a DAW paperback original.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The true first is itself a book club edition: an SFBC hardcover with a gutter code and no printed jacket price. Copies without the J 39 code on page 279 are later SFBC printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Faded Sun: Kutath* by C.J. Cherryh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-faded-sun-kutath
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.