Tau Zero, cover of another edition (the Gollancz 1971 cover is not yet photographed)

Cover of another edition of this book. The Gollancz 1971 jacket has not been photographed yet.

Hardback

Tau Zero (1971)

Poul Anderson · Gollancz, London

Publisher Gollancz Year 1971 ISBN 9780575006720

Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 20 Oct 2026.

I own this Add by ISBN
In short

Quick answer

Who published the Tau Zero 1971 hardback?
Gollancz, London, in 1971, in hardback.
What decides the price
  • It is the first UK edition; the true first was published elsewhere.
  • The original dust jacket carries much of the price for a book of this age; its condition matters as much as the book's.
  • Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.

We are recording sales for this edition. Add it to your collection and we will tell you when a figure is ready.

Affiliate links

Buy a copy

AbeBookseBay

Search results open on the seller's site. If you buy through these links we may earn a commission, which does not affect the price you pay or our values.

Identification

How to identify this edition

The novel grew out of the 1967 Galaxy story "To Outlive Eternity" and was first published as a book by Doubleday in the United States in 1970, so the Gollancz hardback of 1971 is the first UK edition. Look for the Victor Gollancz London imprint dated 1971, SBN 0 575 00672 2, and 208 pages of text. Dealers list it as the first UK edition in a dust jacket. Facsimile jackets for the 1971 Gollancz first printing are sold, so check any jacket for modern paper and print.

Publisher's practice

How Gollancz marked its first editions

An older Gollancz first edition is identified by what is missing: later impressions are recorded on the back of the title page, so a copy with no impression line under its first-publication date is the first.

Allen and Patricia Ahearn's publisher list for ILAB says Gollancz made no first edition statement but noted subsequent printings, in the form "First published (year)" followed by "Second impression (year)". Dealers' listings show the same pattern. Two separate sellers of the 1948 reprint of Dilwyn Rees's The Cambridge Murders quote "Second impression (first cheap edition) January 1948" on the verso, one adding that "First published October 1945" is also stated, while the 1945 printing is offered simply as the first edition.

Read the full guide to Gollancz 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.

Printing by printing

Printings and states

First impression

1971

At a glance

Not yet researched

We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.

Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.

Notes

The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.

Value guide

No values yet
Values by condition appear once we have estimates or recorded sales for this printing.

Price history

Recorded sales of Tau Zero, First impression £0£20£40£60 Sep 26 06 Sep 2026: £53 (Very Good)
Show as a table
06 Sep 2026£53vg

Recent sales

DateConditionSourcePrice
6 Sep 2026Very GoodeBay UK sold£53
I own this: add to my collection Want this
Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the Tau Zero 1971 hardback?

Gollancz, London, in 1971, in hardback.

Sources

Where these facts come from

Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.

Related

Other editions of this book

Tau ZeroGuildAmerica Books, 1970
Related

More first editions by Poul Anderson

The Broken SwordAbelard-Schuman, 1954Brain WaveBallantine Books, 1954The Enemy StarsLippincott, 1958The High CrusadeDoubleday, 1960Three Hearts and Three LionsDoubleday, 1961Guardians of TimeGollancz, 1961
Collecting guides
All guides
7 min read

Dust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value

For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …

Read the guide →7 min read

How to Identify a First Edition

To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …

Read the guide →6 min read

Book Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained

Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …

Read the guide →

We use Google Analytics cookies to count visits and see which pages help collectors. You can opt out at any time. Privacy