# Is "The Motion of Light in Water" by Samuel R. Delany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Motion of Light in Water by Samuel R. Delany (Arbor House / William Morrow, 1988) is identified by: Memoir (subtitled 'Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965'), roughly 302 pages. US Arbor House hardcover (1988) is the true first; a substantially expanded edition followed in 1990.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Memoir (subtitled 'Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965'), roughly 302 pages
- Arbor House hardcover in blue cloth, issued in a priced dust jacket whose front flap carries the printed price; jacket art by Jack Gaughan
- The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1 to identify the first printing
- ISBN 0-87795-947-1
- Not a paperback original
- Publisher imprint reads Arbor House / William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel R. Delany |
| Publisher | Arbor House / William Morrow |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Memoir (subtitled 'Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965'), roughly 302 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Memoir (subtitled 'Sex and Science Fiction Writing in the East Village, 1957-1965'), roughly 302 pages. Arbor House hardcover in blue cloth, issued in a priced dust jacket whose front flap carries the printed price; jacket art by Jack Gaughan. The copyright page carries a full descending number line ending in 1 to identify the first printing. ISBN 0-87795-947-1. Not a paperback original.

## Is this the true first?
US Arbor House hardcover (1988) is the true first; a substantially expanded edition followed in 1990. This original edition won the Hugo Award for nonfiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None documented; the usual later-printing tell is a number line that no longer descends to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Motion of Light in Water* by Samuel R. Delany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-motion-of-light-in-water
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.