# Is "The Stars My Destination (Tiger! Tiger!)" by Alfred Bester a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Stars My Destination (Tiger! Tiger!) by Alfred Bester (Signet/NAL, 1956 (UK) / 1957 (US)) is identified by: The US edition was a PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: Signet S1389 (1957), titled 'The Stars My Destination.' The earlier UK first is the hardcover 'Tiger!. Global true first is the UK hardcover 'Tiger!

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US edition was a PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: Signet S1389
- , titled 'The Stars My Destination.' The earlier UK first is the hardcover 'Tiger! Tiger!' (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1956)
- So the true world first is the UK hardcover under the alternate title; the US first appearance is the Signet paperback
- US Signet S1389 with no later-printing line is the first US printing
- Publisher imprint reads Signet/NAL
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alfred Bester |
| Publisher | Signet/NAL |
| Year | 1956 (UK) / 1957 (US) |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US edition was a PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: Signet S1389 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The US edition was a PAPERBACK ORIGINAL: Signet S1389 (1957), titled 'The Stars My Destination.' The earlier UK first is the hardcover 'Tiger! Tiger!' (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1956). So the true world first is the UK hardcover under the alternate title; the US first appearance is the Signet paperback. US Signet S1389 with no later-printing line is the first US printing.

## Is this the true first?
Global true first is the UK hardcover 'Tiger! Tiger!' (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1956). The US first is the paperback-original Signet (1957) under the better-known title; it is the first US edition and a paperback original for the US market.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition for the original paperback. Distinguish the UK 'Tiger! Tiger!' hardcover first, the Signet S1389 US PBO first, and later reprints under either title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Stars My Destination (Tiger! Tiger!)* by Alfred Bester a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-stars-my-destination-tiger-tiger
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.