# Is "Timescape" by Gregory Benford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Timescape by Gregory Benford (Simon & Schuster, New York, 1980) is identified by: First printing has the full Simon & Schuster number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page and the price on the jacket flap; cloth-backed boards. The US Simon & Schuster hardcover is the true first, preceding the UK Gollancz (1980) and the paperbacks.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the full Simon & Schuster number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page and the price on the jacket flap; cloth-backed boards
- Nebula winner; the novel that gave its name to the Pocket/S&S 'Timescape' imprint
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gregory Benford |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster, New York |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the full Simon & Schuster number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page and the price on the jacket flap… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the full Simon & Schuster number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page and the price on the jacket flap; cloth-backed boards. Nebula winner; the novel that gave its name to the Pocket/S&S 'Timescape' imprint.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster hardcover is the true first, preceding the UK Gollancz (1980) and the paperbacks. Confirm the complete '1' to '10' number line for the first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club edition is smaller in trim, unpriced ('Book Club Edition'), and carries a gutter blindstamp; the full S&S number line is absent or altered.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Timescape* by Gregory Benford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/timescape
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.