How to Identify a Bluejay Books First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• A first printing is confirmed by an explicit DATED statement on the copyright page reading 'First Bluejay printing:' followed by a month and year — e.g., 'First Bluejay printing: November 1985' (Dan Simmons, Song of Kali). This dated worded line is the single most reliable point and is consistent across the house's catalogue.
• Bluejay used a SPELLED-OUT dated printing statement, NOT a descending number line. Do not expect a '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' printer's key ending in 1; there is no evidence Bluejay used number lines. The presence of the worded 'First Bluejay printing: [Month Year]' is what confirms first status.
• The wording is stable across titles — 'First Bluejay printing: [Month Year]' — verified on multiple titles: Song of Kali (November 1985), The Messiah Choice (May 1985), Nightflyers (December 1985), Benjamin Schutz Embrace the Wolf (March 1985), Jack Williamson Firechild (August 1986), Kate Wilhelm Huysman's Pets (January 1986). Treat 'Stated first Bluejay printing' / '1st Bluejay edition' / 'First thus' as dealer paraphrases, not the exact copyright-page text; confirm the literal 'First Bluejay printing: [Month Year]' line on the book.
• Cross-check the stated printing month/year against the house's 1983–1986 window and the title's known first-publication date. Because Bluejay operated only about three years and dated each printing, a 'First Bluejay printing' line dated inside that window reliably indicates the first Bluejay printing of that issue.
• A LATER printing would be flagged by a later month/year in the same 'Bluejay printing' statement or a higher ordinal (e.g., 'Second Bluejay printing'), not by any number-line manipulation. Note the dated line records THIS Bluejay issue's first printing — the same title can have a hardcover and a separate trade-softcover issue, each carrying its own 'First Bluejay printing' date, so match the format in hand before calling it 'the' first.
• Many Bluejay books are 'First thus' — the first Bluejay appearance of a text published earlier elsewhere (e.g., George R.R. Martin's Nightflyers collects a novella first serialized in Analog in 1980 and issued by Bantam in 1981). The 'First Bluejay printing' line confirms the first Bluejay printing but NOT that the title is the work's true first-anywhere edition.

Notable points & cautions

• Distribution/ISBN trap: Bluejay Books were distributed by St. Martin's Press, so nearly all carry St. Martin's 0-312- ISBNs (Song of Kali 0-312-94408-X; Firechild 0-312-94165-9; Huysman's Pets 0-312-94219-2; Messiah Choice 0-312-94301-6). A 0-312 St. Martin's ISBN on a book stating 'First Bluejay printing' is NORMAL for a Bluejay first, not a sign of a St. Martin's reprint.
• Format trap: Bluejay issued titles in hardcover AND trade softcover (e.g., Nightflyers appeared as a 'First Bluejay printing' trade softcover). A hardcover and a softcover can each be a legitimate first printing of its own format — determine which format you hold before calling it 'the' first.
• Book-club tell: some Bluejay titles circulated in book-club form (the Gardner Dozois Year's Best Science Fiction annuals had smaller book-club editions). Standard club markers — no jacket price, blind-stamped board dot/gutter code, 'Book Club Edition' on the flap — override a first-printing assumption, so confirm BOTH a stated Bluejay printing line AND a priced jacket / trade binding.
• Short-lived, undercapitalized house (folded 1986) with a small catalogue (~50+ titles): dated printing statements are unusually informative and are the primary evidence. Trust the copyright-page 'First Bluejay printing: [Month Year]' line rather than looking for a number line, which the house did not use. Watch for dealer typos ('First BluJay printing', 'First Bluejay Books printing') that paraphrase or misspell the actual line.

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Bluejay Books Inc., Bluejay Books, Inc., Bluejay Books (New York). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Bluejay Books book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. A first printing is confirmed by an explicit DATED statement on the copyright page reading 'First Bluejay printing:' followed by a month and year — e.g., 'First Bluejay printing: November 1985' (Dan Simmons, Song of Kali). This dated worded line is the single most reliable point and is consistent across the house's catalogue. Bluejay used a SPELLED-OUT dated printing statement, NOT a descending number line. Do not expect a '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' printer's key ending in 1; there is no evidence Bluejay used number lines. The presence of the worded 'First Bluejay printing: [Month Year]' is what confirms first status.

Does Bluejay Books use a number line?

Bluejay used a SPELLED-OUT dated printing statement, NOT a descending number line. Do not expect a '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' printer's key ending in 1; there is no evidence Bluejay used number lines. The presence of the worded 'First Bluejay printing: [Month Year]' is what confirms first status.

Is a book-club edition a Bluejay Books first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Distribution/ISBN trap: Bluejay Books were distributed by St. Martin's Press, so nearly all carry St. Martin's 0-312- ISBNs (Song of Kali 0-312-94408-X; Firechild 0-312-94165-9; Huysman's Pets 0-312-94219-2; Messiah Choice 0-312-94301-6). A 0-312 St. Martin's ISBN on a book stating 'First Bluejay printing' is NORMAL for a Bluejay first, not a sign of a St. Martin's reprint.

What era does this cover?

This covers Bluejay Books (1983–1986). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.