# Is "The Masks of Time" by Robert Silverberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Masks of Time by Robert Silverberg (Ballantine, 1968) is identified by: Ballantine Books paperback original, 1968, catalog number U6121, with cover art by Robert Foster; a Nebula-nominated novel. US Ballantine paperback original (U6121, 1968) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ballantine Books paperback original, 1968, catalog number U6121, with cover art by Robert Foster; a Nebula-nominated novel
- As a paperback original there is no hardcover precedent for the first market appearance
- The first printing should show the Ballantine U6121 number and the printed cover price, with no statement of a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Silverberg |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ballantine Books paperback original, 1968, catalog number U6121, with cover art by Robert Foster; a Nebula-nominated novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ballantine Books paperback original, 1968, catalog number U6121, with cover art by Robert Foster; a Nebula-nominated novel. As a paperback original there is no hardcover precedent for the first market appearance. The first printing should show the Ballantine U6121 number and the printed cover price, with no statement of a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Ballantine paperback original (U6121, 1968) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. A later Ballantine printing (1973) exists and is distinguished by revised cover pricing and printing notation rather than the clean first-printing U6121 state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Masks of Time* by Robert Silverberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-masks-of-time
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.