Cover of another edition of this book. The Methuen 1983 jacket has not been photographed yet.
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.
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First published in New York by DAW Books in February 1981 as a paperback original. The first British edition is the Methuen paperback of 9 June 1983, ISBN 0 413 51310 6, 432 pages, with cover art by Chris Moore credited on the back cover. Methuen reprinted it later in 1983 and again in 1986 and 1987 under the same ISBN, so check the imprint page for any reprint line. The first British hardback is the Severn House edition of 1985 (ISBN 0 7278 1073 1, jacket art by Nigel Hills), which is later than the Methuen paperback. Mandarin reissued the paperback in 1989.
Read the full guide to Methuen first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.
Check these points. Dust jacket, front flap: Printed price on the front flap: £1.95. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
Methuen, London, in 1983, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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