# Is "The Long Earth (with Stephen Baxter)" by Terry Pratchett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Long Earth (with Stephen Baxter) by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2012) is identified by: Long Earth book 1, co-authored with Stephen Baxter. UK Doubleday and US Harper editions appeared essentially simultaneously in June 2012; collectors generally take the UK Doubleday as the preferred first, distinguished by its pictorial-boards production and the full number line ending in 1.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Long Earth book 1, co-authored with Stephen Baxter
- UK Doubleday (London) 2012, ISBN 0-857-52009-1
- the first printing shows a complete descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Distinctively, this Doubleday first was issued in illustrated wraparound matt pictorial boards (pale pink and eau-de-nil tones, with the titling in black and dark red on the spine panel) rather than cloth with a separate dust jacket, so a first issue is complete without a jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Terry Pratchett |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Long Earth book 1, co-authored with Stephen Baxter |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Long Earth book 1, co-authored with Stephen Baxter. UK Doubleday (London) 2012, ISBN 0-857-52009-1 (9780857520098); the first printing shows a complete descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Distinctively, this Doubleday first was issued in illustrated wraparound matt pictorial boards (pale pink and eau-de-nil tones, with the titling in black and dark red on the spine panel) rather than cloth with a separate dust jacket, so a first issue is complete without a jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Doubleday and US Harper editions appeared essentially simultaneously in June 2012; collectors generally take the UK Doubleday as the preferred first, distinguished by its pictorial-boards production and the full number line ending in 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings show a shortened or incomplete number line; the Corgi/Doubleday paperback (ISBN 9780552167239) and any book-club issue are later states, not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Long Earth (with Stephen Baxter)* by Terry Pratchett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-long-earth-with-stephen-baxter
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.