# Is "The Healer's War" by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Healer's War by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (Foundation / Doubleday, New York, 1988) is identified by: Doubleday (A Foundation Book) hardcover, 1988, quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, 303 pages plus a glossary; the first printing is identified by the words 'First Edition' printed on the copyright page with no later-printing statement or gutter code indicating a subsequent impression. The US Doubleday/Foundation 1988 hardcover is the true first edition, confirmed by the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page; the 1989 Bantam mass-market paperback is a later reprint, not a first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday (A Foundation Book) hardcover, 1988, quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, 303 pages plus a glossary; the first printing is identified by the words 'First Edition' printed on the copyright page with no later-printing statement or gutter code indicating a subsequent impression
- Issued in a priced dust jacket with cover art by Braldt Bralds; a correct first-issue jacket carries the original printed price (present, not clipped, on an unrestored example) and the Doubleday/Foundation imprint on the spine
- The book went on to win the 1989 Nebula Award for Best Novel
- Publisher imprint reads Foundation / Doubleday, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Elizabeth Ann Scarborough |
| Publisher | Foundation / Doubleday, New York |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday (A Foundation Book) hardcover, 1988, quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, 303 pages plus a glossary; the first printing is… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday (A Foundation Book) hardcover, 1988, quarter cloth over paper-covered boards, 303 pages plus a glossary; the first printing is identified by the words 'First Edition' printed on the copyright page with no later-printing statement or gutter code indicating a subsequent impression. Issued in a priced dust jacket with cover art by Braldt Bralds; a correct first-issue jacket carries the original printed price (present, not clipped, on an unrestored example) and the Doubleday/Foundation imprint on the spine. The book went on to win the 1989 Nebula Award for Best Novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Doubleday/Foundation 1988 hardcover is the true first edition, confirmed by the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page; the 1989 Bantam mass-market paperback is a later reprint, not a first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction / Doubleday Book Club edition is a separate printing: it omits the trade 'First Edition' statement, is typically thinner with cheaper boards, carries a blind-stamped colophon on the rear board, and its jacket lacks a printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Healer's War* by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-healers-war
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.