# Is "Wyrms" by Orson Scott Card a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wyrms by Orson Scott Card (Arbor House, 1987) is identified by: Arbor House (New York) hardcover, 1987 (ISBN 0-87795-894-7). The US Arbor House hardcover (1987) is the true first; the UK edition followed in 1988.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Arbor House (New York) hardcover, 1987 (ISBN 0-87795-894-7)
- The trade first printing has a dust jacket with the publisher's printed price present on the front flap and a copyright page carrying no statement of a later printing
- The first-issue jacket should be present and unclipped to show that price, though clipping alone does not unmake a first
- Publisher imprint reads Arbor House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Orson Scott Card |
| Publisher | Arbor House |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Arbor House (New York) hardcover, 1987 (ISBN 0-87795-894-7) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Arbor House (New York) hardcover, 1987 (ISBN 0-87795-894-7). The trade first printing has a dust jacket with the publisher's printed price present on the front flap and a copyright page carrying no statement of a later printing. The first-issue jacket should be present and unclipped to show that price, though clipping alone does not unmake a first.

## Is this the true first?
The US Arbor House hardcover (1987) is the true first; the UK edition followed in 1988.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Science Fiction Book Club edition: bound in a noticeably smaller, thinner format from cheaper boards, blind-stamped (small square 'dot') on the rear board, and issued with a jacket lacking any printed price. The trade first is the taller book with the priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wyrms* by Orson Scott Card a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wyrms
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.