# Is "The Forbidden Tower" by Marion Zimmer Bradley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Forbidden Tower by Marion Zimmer Bradley (DAW Books, 1977) is identified by: DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW collector number 256, first printing dated September 1977, pictorial wraps with cover art by Richard Hescox. Paperback original; the true first is the DAW paperback of September 1977.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW collector number 256, first printing dated September 1977, pictorial wraps with cover art by Richard Hescox
- Paperback original with no preceding hardcover
- The DAW collector number and the printing date help identify the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Marion Zimmer Bradley |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW collector number 256, first printing dated September 1977, pictorial wraps with cover art by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
DAW Books mass-market paperback original, DAW collector number 256, first printing dated September 1977, pictorial wraps with cover art by Richard Hescox. Paperback original with no preceding hardcover. The DAW collector number and the printing date help identify the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; the true first is the DAW paperback of September 1977. The first hardcover was a later Gregg Press edition (1979). Awards recognition for this title was a 1978 Hugo Award nomination and a 1978 Locus Award nomination, not a Nebula; it was not a Nebula nominee.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings show a changed cover price and altered cover; the DAW collector number on the cover and spine helps date the printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Forbidden Tower* by Marion Zimmer Bradley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-forbidden-tower
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.