Publisher · founded 1971 · New York City
DAW Books
New York science fiction and fantasy house founded by Donald and Elsie Wollheim in 1971, a paperback original publisher until trade hardbacks began in 1985. Hardback firsts carry a dated printing statement and a number line to 1.
- Editions tracked
- 125
- First editions
- 102
- Books
- 124
- Years
- 1972 to 2023
DAW Books is a publisher based in New York City, founded in 1971. We track 125 editions it published between 1972 and 2023, 102 of them first editions across 124 books. How DAW Books marked its first editions is set out below, with a checker for the year on your title page.
About DAW Books
DAW Books is a New York science fiction and fantasy publisher founded in 1971 by Donald A. Wollheim and Elsie B. Wollheim, and owned since July 2022 by Astra Publishing House.
Donald Wollheim set up DAW after leaving Ace Books in 1971, and it is described as the first publisher given over entirely to science fiction and fantasy. Its first book was Andre Norton's collection Spell of the Witch World (1972). The early list included writers such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Fritz Leiber, Jerry Pournelle and Roger Zelazny. In 1982 C. J. Cherryh's Downbelow Station became the first DAW book to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
After Donald Wollheim, the company was run and owned by his daughter Betsy Wollheim and Sheila E. Gilbert as co-publishers. DAW was editorially independent but long distributed by Penguin and housed in Penguin's New York offices. On 13 July 2022 Astra Publishing House bought DAW, keeping its whole staff and making it Astra's only science fiction and fantasy imprint; distribution moved to Penguin Random House Publisher Services.
DAW authors include Tad Williams, Mercedes Lackey, Patrick Rothfuss, Seanan McGuire, Melanie Rawn, Tanith Lee, Nnedi Okorafor, Ben Aaronovitch and Philip K. Dick. The company has published more than 2,000 books.
Holding a copy? The first edition checker shows DAW Books's practice for the year on your title page.
Identification
How to identify DAW Books first editions
Authors
Books
Published by DAW Books
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify a DAW Books first edition?
How many DAW Books books does MyVolumes track?
We track 125 editions published by DAW Books, 102 of them first editions, across 124 books.
Where these facts come from
- DAW Books, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (sf-encyclopedia.com)
- DAW Books, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- DAW Books Acquired by Astra Publishing House, Reactor, 2022 (reactormag.com)
- The Dragonbone Chair first edition listings, AbeBooks (abebooks.com)
- The Dragonbone Chair (DAW paperback printing record), Author Wars (authorwars.com)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 22 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.