# Is "The Fall of the Towers (omnibus)" by Samuel R. Delany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fall of the Towers (omnibus) by Samuel R. Delany (Ace Books, 1970) is identified by: First combined edition, Ace paperback (catalog number 22640), 1970, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Frank Kelly Freas. The Ace omnibus of 1970 is the first combined and revised edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First combined edition, Ace paperback (catalog number 22640), 1970, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Frank Kelly Freas
- This omnibus gathers the trilogy in texts revised by Delany specifically for this printing, and it prints the three parts as 'Out of the Dead City,' 'The Towers of Toron,' and 'City of a Thousand Suns'
- Delany appends a closing note describing the extent of the rewriting
- First printing is identified by the Ace copyright page carrying no later-printing statement
- Later UK (Sphere) and Gollancz editions followed
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel R. Delany |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First combined edition, Ace paperback (catalog number 22640), 1970, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Frank Kelly Freas |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First combined edition, Ace paperback (catalog number 22640), 1970, in pictorial wrappers with cover art by Frank Kelly Freas. This omnibus gathers the trilogy in texts revised by Delany specifically for this printing, and it prints the three parts as 'Out of the Dead City,' 'The Towers of Toron,' and 'City of a Thousand Suns'; Delany appends a closing note describing the extent of the rewriting. First printing is identified by the Ace copyright page carrying no later-printing statement. Later UK (Sphere) and Gollancz editions followed.

## Is this the true first?
The Ace omnibus of 1970 is the first combined and revised edition. The individual original texts have their true firsts in the earlier Ace volumes: 'Captives of the Flame' (1963; substantially rewritten and reissued as 'Out of the Dead City' in 1968), 'The Towers of Toron' (1964), and 'City of a Thousand Suns' (1965).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
As a paperback original there is no book-club edition to distinguish; separate the 1970 first combined printing from later Ace and imported UK reprints by the copyright page and catalog number.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fall of the Towers (omnibus)* by Samuel R. Delany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fall-of-the-towers-omnibus
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.