# Is "World of Ptavvs" by Larry Niven a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven (Ballantine, 1966) is identified by: Ballantine Science Fiction paperback original, 1966, catalogue number U2328, with the original printed cover price present at the upper corner of the front wrap. The US Ballantine paperback original (U2328, 1966) is the true first book edition; no earlier hardcover exists.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ballantine Science Fiction paperback original, 1966, catalogue number U2328, with the original printed cover price present at the upper corner of the front wrap
- Pictorial wraps with multi-colored title lettering and red-stained page edges
- A shorter version of the story first appeared in the March 1965 issue of Worlds of Tomorrow; this Ballantine paperback is the first book publication
- Niven's first novel and first published book
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry Niven |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ballantine Science Fiction paperback original, 1966, catalogue number U2328, with the original printed cover price present at the upper… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ballantine Science Fiction paperback original, 1966, catalogue number U2328, with the original printed cover price present at the upper corner of the front wrap. Pictorial wraps with multi-colored title lettering and red-stained page edges. A shorter version of the story first appeared in the March 1965 issue of Worlds of Tomorrow; this Ballantine paperback is the first book publication. Niven's first novel and first published book.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ballantine paperback original (U2328, 1966) is the true first book edition; no earlier hardcover exists. The 1965 magazine appearance in Worlds of Tomorrow was a shorter serial-length text and does not constitute a book edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; issued as a paperback original, so there is no book-club edition of the first. Confirm the U2328 catalogue number and the intact printed cover price to distinguish the first printing from later Ballantine/Del Rey reprints under different catalogue numbers.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *World of Ptavvs* by Larry Niven a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/world-of-ptavvs
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.