# Is "VALIS" by Philip K. Dick a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of VALIS by Philip K. Dick (Bantam, 1981) is identified by: Bantam Books paperback original, February 1981; first book of the VALIS trilogy, preceding The Divine Invasion (1981) and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (1982). US Bantam paperback original is the true first; the Kerosina UK hardcover is a much later edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam Books paperback original, February 1981; first book of the VALIS trilogy, preceding The Divine Invasion
- and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
- As a mass-market paperback original there is no descending number line; the first Bantam printing, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page and the original cover price present, is the issue point
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip K. Dick |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam Books paperback original, February 1981; first book of the VALIS trilogy, preceding The Divine Invasion |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Bantam Books paperback original, February 1981; first book of the VALIS trilogy, preceding The Divine Invasion (1981) and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (1982). As a mass-market paperback original there is no descending number line; the first Bantam printing, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page and the original cover price present, is the issue point.

## Is this the true first?
US Bantam paperback original is the true first; the Kerosina UK hardcover is a much later edition. There is no earlier hardcover state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; this is a paperback original. Confirm the copyright page carries no additional-printing statement to distinguish the first printing from later Bantam printings of the same setting.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *VALIS* by Philip K. Dick a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/valis
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.