# Is "The Sandman: World's End" by Neil Gaiman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman (DC Comics / Vertigo, 1995) is identified by: Correct title is 'Worlds' End' (apostrophe after the s). Collected first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Correct title is 'Worlds' End' (apostrophe after the s)
- Trade paperback collecting The Sandman #51-56; first printing 1995 (the softcover was published in 1995, not 1994)
- A hardcover was also issued in this period
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics / Vertigo

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman |
| Publisher | DC Comics / Vertigo |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Correct title is 'Worlds' End' (apostrophe after the s) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Correct title is 'Worlds' End' (apostrophe after the s). Trade paperback collecting The Sandman #51-56; first printing 1995 (the softcover was published in 1995, not 1994). A hardcover was also issued in this period.

## Is this the true first?
Collected first-thus. The monthly comics The Sandman #51-56 (1993) are the true first appearances.

## 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 (1-56389-171-4) and price and the absence of a reprint statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sandman: World's End* by Neil Gaiman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sandman-worlds-end
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.