# Is "The Sandman: The Kindly Ones" by Neil Gaiman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sandman: The Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman (DC Comics / Vertigo, 1996) is identified by: Trade paperback collecting The Sandman #57-69 and material from Vertigo Jam #1; first printing 1996 (paperback ISBN 1-56389-205-2). Collected first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade paperback collecting The Sandman #57-69 and material from Vertigo Jam #1; first printing 1996 (paperback ISBN 1-56389-205-2)
- A hardcover was also issued in 1996 (ISBN 1-56389-204-4)
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics / Vertigo

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman |
| Publisher | DC Comics / Vertigo |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Trade paperback collecting The Sandman #57-69 and material from Vertigo Jam #1; first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Trade paperback collecting The Sandman #57-69 and material from Vertigo Jam #1; first printing 1996 (paperback ISBN 1-56389-205-2). A hardcover was also issued in 1996 (ISBN 1-56389-204-4).

## Is this the true first?
Collected first-thus. The monthly comics The Sandman #57-69 (1994-1996) are the true first appearances. Both paperback and hardcover appeared in 1996.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are marked as such in the indicia; no traditional number line is used, so identify a first printing by the original ISBN and price and the absence of a reprint statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sandman: The Kindly Ones* by Neil Gaiman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sandman-the-kindly-ones
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.