# Is "The Magic Goes Away" by Larry Niven a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Magic Goes Away by Larry Niven (Ace, 1978) is identified by: Ace 1978, illustrated throughout with black-and-white in-text drawings by Esteban Maroto and a Boris Vallejo pictorial cover. Ace issued the title in 1978 in an illustrated paperback and a hardcover as apparently simultaneous formats, so the paperback should not be called the sole true first; collectors distinguish format rather than precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace 1978, illustrated throughout with black-and-white in-text drawings by Esteban Maroto and a Boris Vallejo pictorial cover
- Issued simultaneously in three forms: an illustrated trade paperback in pictorial wrappers; a trade hardcover in dust jacket; and a signed limited hardcover of 1,000 numbered copies
- The hardcover binding is red quarter cloth with silver spine lettering over blue boards; the signed limited copies are numbered and signed by Niven (typically on the front free endpaper) and carry the same Vallejo pictorial jacket, which should retain its printed cover price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Ace
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry Niven |
| Publisher | Ace |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace 1978, illustrated throughout with black-and-white in-text drawings by Esteban Maroto and a Boris Vallejo pictorial cover |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ace 1978, illustrated throughout with black-and-white in-text drawings by Esteban Maroto and a Boris Vallejo pictorial cover. Issued simultaneously in three forms: an illustrated trade paperback in pictorial wrappers; a trade hardcover in dust jacket; and a signed limited hardcover of 1,000 numbered copies. The hardcover binding is red quarter cloth with silver spine lettering over blue boards; the signed limited copies are numbered and signed by Niven (typically on the front free endpaper) and carry the same Vallejo pictorial jacket, which should retain its printed cover price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
Ace issued the title in 1978 in an illustrated paperback and a hardcover as apparently simultaneous formats, so the paperback should not be called the sole true first; collectors distinguish format rather than precedence. Within the hardcover, the signed/numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies and the ordinary trade hardcover are separate issues, the numbered limitation being the point that identifies the limited.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No separate book club edition identified for the 1978 Ace illustrated issues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Magic Goes Away* by Larry Niven a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-magic-goes-away
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.