# Is "The Jewel-Hinged Jaw" by Samuel R. Delany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Jewel-Hinged Jaw by Samuel R. Delany (Dragon Press, 1977) is identified by: Essay collection on science fiction criticism. US Dragon Press edition (1977) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Essay collection on science fiction criticism
- First edition in cloth, issued without dust jacket
- Published in a small trade issue plus a signed limited issue of 110 numbered copies (and a handful of lettered copies) signed by Delany; title-page vignette by Richard Powers
- Publisher imprint reads Dragon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel R. Delany |
| Publisher | Dragon Press |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Essay collection on science fiction criticism |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Essay collection on science fiction criticism. First edition in cloth, issued without dust jacket. Published in a small trade issue plus a signed limited issue of 110 numbered copies (and a handful of lettered copies) signed by Delany; title-page vignette by Richard Powers.

## Is this the true first?
US Dragon Press edition (1977) is the true first. A Berkley Windhover paperback followed in 1978; a revised edition appeared from Wesleyan University Press in 2009.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Jewel-Hinged Jaw* by Samuel R. Delany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-jewel-hinged-jaw
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.