Samuel R. Delany (1942 – ), nicknamed “Chip”, is an American author and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism and essays on science fiction, literature, sexuality, and society.
His fiction includes Babel-17, The Einstein Intersection (winners of the Nebula Award for 1966 and 1967 respectively), Nova, Dhalgren, the Return to Nevèrÿon series, and Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders. His nonfiction includes Times Square Red, Times Square Blue, About Writing, and eight books of essays. After winning four Nebula awards and two Hugo Awards over the course of his career, Delany was inducted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2002.
Delany published his first eight novels with Ace Books from 1962 to 1967, culminating in Babel-17 and The Einstein Intersection which were consecutively recognized as the year’s best novel by the Science Fiction Writers of America (Nebula Awards). Calling him a genius and poet, Algis Budrys listed Delany with J. G. Ballard, Brian W. Aldiss, and Roger Zelazny as “an earthshaking new kind” of writer, and Judith Merril labeling him “TNT (The New Thing)”.
From January 1975 until his retirement in May 2015, he was a professor of English, Comparative Literature, and/or Creative Writing at SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Albany, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Temple University in Philadelphia. In 1997 he won the Kessler Award, and in 2010 he won the third J. Lloyd Eaton Lifetime Achievement Award in Science Fiction from the academic Eaton Science Fiction Conference at UCR Libraries.
The Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 30th SFWA Grand Master in 2013, and in 2016, he was inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. Delany received the 2021 Anisfield-Wolf Lifetime Achievement Award.
Samuel R. Delany – First Editions Identification Guide
Note: This list only includes books published prior to 1977.
| Year | Title | Publisher | First edition/printing identification points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | BABEL-17 | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1966] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book F-388 (40¢). ALSO: London; Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1967. Boards. No statement of printing on © page. First hardcover edition. ALSO: London: Sphere Books Ltd, [1969]. Wrappers. First Sphere Books edition, 1969 on © page. Sphere Science Fiction28887 (5/0). Revised text. ALSO: Boston: Gregg Press, 1976. First Printing, June 1976 on © page. First hardcover edition of the revised text. Notes: (1) Photographically reproduced from a copy of the 1969 Sphere Books edition, the only complete text and the one preferred by the author. (2) Not issued in dust jacket. |
| 1965 | THE BALLAD OF BETA-2 | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1965] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Double M-121 (45¢). Bound with ALPHA YES, TERRA NO! by Emil Petaja. ALSO: Boston: Gregg Press, 1977. First Printing, December 1977 on © page. First hardcover edition. Notes: (1) Photographically reproduced from a copy of the 1971 Ace Books printing (Ace Books 04722) with a few textual corrections. (2) Not issued in dust jacket. |
| 1963 | CAPTIVES OF THE FLAME | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1963] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Double F-199 (40¢). Bound with THE PSIONIC MENACE by Keith Woodcott. Enlarged as OUT OF THE DEAD CITY. Collected later in THE FALL OF THE TOWERS. |
| 1965 | CITY OF A THOUSAND SUNS | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1965] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book F-322 (40¢). ALSO: London: Sphere Books Ltd., [1969]. Wrappers. First published in Great Britain in 1969 on © page. Sphere Science Fiction 28851 (5/-). Revised text. Collected later in THE FALL OF THE TOWERS. |
| 1975 | DHALGREN | Toronto New York London: Bantam Books, [1975] | Wrappers. January 1975 on © page. Bantam Science Fiction Y8554 ($1.95). ALSO: Toronto New York London: Bantam Books, [?]. Wrappers. Sixth printing. Approximately 65 textual corrections. ALSO: Boston: Gregg Press, 1977. First Printing, December, 1977 on © page. Numerous textual corrections appear for the first time. First hardcover edition. Note: Not issued in dust jacket. |
| 1971 | DRIFTGLASS | Garden City: Nelson Doubleday, Inc., [1971] | Boards. No statement of printing on © page. Code 24M on page 273. Notes: (1) Author's name misspelled "Delaney" on title page. (2) Issued by the Science Fiction Book Club. |
| 1967 | THE EINSTEIN INTERSECTION | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1967] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book F-427 (40¢). Note: All U.S. editions lack one chapter. ALSO: London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1968. Boards. No statement of printing on © page. First hardcover edition. |
| 1966 | EMPIRE STAR | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1966] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Double M-139 (45¢). Bound with THE TREE LORD OF IMETEN by Tom Purdom. ALSO: Boston: Gregg Press, 1977. First Printing, December 1977 on © page. First separate hardcover edition. Notes: (1) Text is photographically reproduced, with corrections, from the 1971 Ace Science Fiction Reader edited by Donald A. Wollheim. (2) Not issued in dust jacket. |
| 1970 | THE FALL OF THE TOWERS | New York: Ace Books, [1970] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Book 22640 (95¢). Collects CAPTIVES OF THE FLAME (later OUT OF THE DEAD CITY), THE TOWERS OF TORON, and CITY OF A THOUSAND SUNS. Revised texts*. Adds "Author's Note on the Revision of this Edition." ALSO: Boston: Gregg Press, 1977. First Printing, June 1977 on © page. First hardcover edition. Note: Not issued in dust jacket. |
| 1962 | THE JEWELS OF APTOR | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1962] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Double F-173 (40¢). Bound with SECOND ENDING by James White. ALSO: New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1965]. Wrappers. No statement of printing on Copyright page. An Ace Book G-706 (50¢). Revised and enlarged text. ALSO: London: Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1968. Boards. No statement of printing on © page. Text follows 1968 Ace edition. First hardcover edition. ALSO: London: Sphere Books Ltd, [1977]. Wrappers. First Sphere Books edition 1971 on © page. Sphere Science Fiction 28894 (25p). Additional textual revisions. ALSO:Boston: Gregg Press, 1976. First Printing, June 1976 on © page. First hardcover edition of this text. Notes: (1) Photographically reproduced from the 1971 Sphere Books edition, the complete text preferred by Delany. (2) Not issued in dust jacket. |
| 1968 | NOVA | Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1968 | First edition so stated on © page. Note: Half page of text missing on page 242. ALSO: Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc, [1969]. Boards. No statement of printing on © page. Code 77 K on page [283]. Incorporates textual corrections. Note: Issued by the Science Fiction Book Club. |
| 1965 | OUT OF THE DEAD CITY | London: Sphere Books Ltd, [1965] | Wrappers. First published in Great Britain in 1968 ... on © page. Sphere Science Fiction 28835 (5/0). Revised version of CAPTIVES OF THE FLAME. Collected later in THE FALL OF THE TOWERS. |
| 1973 | THE TIDES OF LUST | New York: Lancer Books, [1973] |
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| 1964 | THE TOWERS OF TORON | New York: Ace Books, Inc., [1964] | Wrappers. No statement of printing on © page. Ace Double F-261 (40¢). Bound with THE LUNAR EYE by Robert Moore Williams. ALSO: London: Sphere Books Ltd., [1965]. Wrappers. First published in Great Britain in 1968 ... on © page. Sphere Science Fiction 28843 (5/-). Revised text. Collected later in THE FALL OF THE TOWERS. |
| 1976 | TRITON | Toronto New York. London: Bantam Books, [1976] | Wrappers. Published February 1976 on © page. Bantam Science Fiction Y2567 ($1.95). ALSO: Boston: Gregg Press, 1977. First Printing, June 1977 on © page. First hardcover edition. Notes: (1) Photographically reproduced from the 2nd printing of the Bantam Books edition. (2) Not issue in dust jacket. |
Samuel R. Delany – First Printing Dust Jackets Identification Guide
Gallery of First state Dust Jackets of Delany’s works. Only includes the first appearance in book form. Either the UK or US edition and does not include later printings.
Reference:
- Wikipedia
- . W. Currey, Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors: A Bibliography of First Printings of Their Fiction and Selected Nonfiction.
