# Is "Zero History" by William Gibson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Zero History by William Gibson (Viking, 2010) is identified by: Two simultaneous-year hardcover firsts. The UK Viking edition (published September 2, 2010) precedes the US Putnam edition (September 7, 2010) by five days, so Viking is the true first by date.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Two simultaneous-year hardcover firsts
- UK Viking (ISBN 0-670-91952-7) was published September 2, 2010
- US Putnam (ISBN 0-399-15682-3) followed September 7, 2010, and is identified by a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- By date of publication the UK Viking edition narrowly precedes the US edition
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Gibson |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Two simultaneous-year hardcover firsts |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Two simultaneous-year hardcover firsts. UK Viking (ISBN 0-670-91952-7) was published September 2, 2010; US Putnam (ISBN 0-399-15682-3) followed September 7, 2010, and is identified by a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. By date of publication the UK Viking edition narrowly precedes the US edition.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Viking edition (published September 2, 2010) precedes the US Putnam edition (September 7, 2010) by five days, so Viking is the true first by date. Both are 2010 hardcovers and either may be described as a first edition; collectors sometimes treat them as co-firsts. Third volume of the Blue Ant (Bigend) trilogy.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Issued as a trade hardcover by both publishers; Subterranean Press also released a signed limited edition. No book-club issue of note.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Zero History* by William Gibson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/zero-history
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.