# Is "The Sandman: The Dream Hunters" by Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano (DC Comics / Vertigo, 1999) is identified by: Illustrated prose/art book with Yoshitaka Amano paintings; 1999 hardcover first printing, identified by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. True first is the 1999 Amano-illustrated hardcover (first-thus).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Illustrated prose/art book with Yoshitaka Amano paintings
- 1999 hardcover first printing, identified by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics / Vertigo

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano |
| Publisher | DC Comics / Vertigo |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Illustrated prose/art book with Yoshitaka Amano paintings |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Illustrated prose/art book with Yoshitaka Amano paintings; 1999 hardcover first printing, identified by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1999 Amano-illustrated hardcover (first-thus). The later P. Craig Russell comic adaptation (2009) is a separate work with its own first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Russell adaptation editions are distinct works; later hardcover printings show a number line not ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sandman: The Dream Hunters* by Neil Gaiman & Yoshitaka Amano a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sandman-the-dream-hunters
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.