The points of issue
Cemetery Dance Publications signed limited hardcover first edition, May 2000; 1,000 signed and numbered copies plus 26 signed and lettered traycased copies. Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Novel.
Is this the true first?
The Cemetery Dance limited is the true first; the Leisure US mass-market paperback followed in 2001 as the first trade edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A; small-press limited with a signed limitation page, no book club edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Travelling Vampire Show a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Cemetery Dance Publications signed limited hardcover first edition, May 2000; 1,000 signed and numbered copies plus 26 signed and lettered traycased copies. Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Novel.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Cemetery Dance limited is the true first; the Leisure US mass-market paperback followed in 2001 as the first trade edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
N/A; small-press limited with a signed limitation page, no book club edition.
I have a first edition of The Travelling Vampire Show — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.