# Is "The Separation" by Christopher Priest a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Separation by Christopher Priest (Scribner, 2002) is identified by: UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) trade paperback, 2002, is the true first edition; it was issued in wrappers, not as a hardcover. The 2002 Scribner UK trade paperback is the true first; it precedes both the 2003 Gollancz UK hardcover and the 2005 US Old Earth Books hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) trade paperback, 2002, is the true first edition; it was issued in wrappers, not as a hardcover
- The first hardcover appearance was the Gollancz edition published in London in 2003
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Priest |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) trade paperback, 2002, is the true first edition; it was issued in wrappers, not as a hardcover |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) trade paperback, 2002, is the true first edition; it was issued in wrappers, not as a hardcover. The first hardcover appearance was the Gollancz edition published in London in 2003.

## Is this the true first?
The 2002 Scribner UK trade paperback is the true first; it precedes both the 2003 Gollancz UK hardcover and the 2005 US Old Earth Books hardcover. Winner of the 2002 BSFA Award and the 2003 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Gollancz 2003 hardcover is the first hardcover (UK); the Old Earth Books 2005 hardcover is the first US edition. Neither is the true first. Do not confuse the later hardcovers with the original Scribner wrappers first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Separation* by Christopher Priest a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-separation
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.