# Is "The Night Boat" by Robert R. McCammon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Night Boat by Robert R. McCammon (Avon, 1980) is identified by: Avon paperback original; the copyright page states First Avon Printing, August 1980, with cover art by John Alvin. Paperback original; the August 1980 Avon printing is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Avon paperback original; the copyright page states First Avon Printing, August 1980, with cover art by John Alvin
- The wrappers carry the original Avon cover price, which should be present on a true first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Avon
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert R. McCammon |
| Publisher | Avon |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Avon paperback original; the copyright page states First Avon Printing, August 1980, with cover art by John Alvin |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Avon paperback original; the copyright page states First Avon Printing, August 1980, with cover art by John Alvin. The wrappers carry the original Avon cover price, which should be present on a true first printing.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; the August 1980 Avon printing is the true first. The first hardcover was the Kinnell, London edition of 1990, limited to 2,000 copies with dust-jacket art by Colin Sullivan; that later hardcover is not the first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; a paperback original has no book club edition. Later Avon printings and the 1990 Kinnell hardcover follow the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Night Boat* by Robert R. McCammon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-night-boat
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.