The points of issue
The 1955 Ballantine hardcover is the first edition; the probable earliest state of the trade binding (Currey binding B1) shows the publisher's monogram stamped upside down at the base of the spine, in red cloth with black spine lettering. The volume reprints fifteen of the twenty-seven stories from Dark Carnival and adds four others.
Is this the true first?
The US Ballantine 1955 hardcover is the true first; the Ballantine mass-market paperback followed in 1956, not simultaneously.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no book club edition of note; later printings are distinguished by the corrected (right-side-up) spine monogram and other later-state markers.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The October Country a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: The 1955 Ballantine hardcover is the first edition; the probable earliest state of the trade binding (Currey binding B1) shows the publisher's monogram stamped upside down at the base of the spine, in red cloth with black spine lettering. The volume reprints fifteen of the twenty-seven stories from Dark Carnival and adds four others.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Ballantine 1955 hardcover is the true first; the Ballantine mass-market paperback followed in 1956, not simultaneously.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
There is no book club edition of note; later printings are distinguished by the corrected (right-side-up) spine monogram and other later-state markers.
I have a first edition of The October Country — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.