# Is "The Stars, Like Dust" by Isaac Asimov a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov (Doubleday, 1951) is identified by: Doubleday first edition (Currey 44a), published February 1951, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page. US Doubleday is the true first edition (published February 1951).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday first edition (Currey 44a), published February 1951, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page
- Issued in publisher's cloth with spine lettering and containing 218 pages of text
- The first-issue dust jacket carries jacket art by Whitney Bender and a printed price on the front flap; a first-state jacket should retain that printed price (unclipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Isaac Asimov |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday first edition (Currey 44a), published February 1951, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday first edition (Currey 44a), published February 1951, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page. Issued in publisher's cloth with spine lettering and containing 218 pages of text. The first-issue dust jacket carries jacket art by Whitney Bender and a printed price on the front flap; a first-state jacket should retain that printed price (unclipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday is the true first edition (published February 1951). The story had earlier appeared serialized in Galaxy as "Tyrann," but the Doubleday hardcover is the first book appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions (a Doubleday book club printing followed) omit the "First Edition" statement on the copyright page, carry a blind-stamped device on the lower rear board, and lack the priced first-issue jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Stars, Like Dust* by Isaac Asimov a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-stars-like-dust
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.