# Is "The Sandman: Dream Country" by Neil Gaiman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman (DC Comics, 1991) is identified by: Trade paperback collecting Sandman #17-20 ('Calliope', 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and 'Facade'), first issued in paperback in 1991. True first of this collected volume is the 1991 paperback (a hardback followed in 1995).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade paperback collecting Sandman #17-20 ('Calliope', 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and 'Facade'), first issued in paperback in 1991
- First printing carries no later-printing line
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Trade paperback collecting Sandman #17-20 ('Calliope', 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats', 'A… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Trade paperback collecting Sandman #17-20 ('Calliope', 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats', 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', and 'Facade'), first issued in paperback in 1991. First printing carries no later-printing line.

## Is this the true first?
True first of this collected volume is the 1991 paperback (a hardback followed in 1995). Single issue #19, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' is the only comic to win a World Fantasy Award (1991).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are numbered; the 1995 hardback is first-thus for that format, not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sandman: Dream Country* by Neil Gaiman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sandman-dream-country
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.