# Is "Contact: A Novel" by Carl Sagan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Contact: A Novel by Carl Sagan (Simon & Schuster, 1985) is identified by: The Simon & Schuster first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page (lowest number 1 present). US true first, published by Simon & Schuster in 1985.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Simon & Schuster first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page (lowest number 1 present)
- Bound in black paper-covered boards with a black cloth spine lettered in gilt, and issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket with the price printed on the front flap
- Sagan's only novel; a first-edition, first-printing copy will show that flap price intact and unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Carl Sagan |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Simon & Schuster first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page (lowest number 1 present) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Simon & Schuster first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page (lowest number 1 present). Bound in black paper-covered boards with a black cloth spine lettered in gilt, and issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket with the price printed on the front flap. Sagan's only novel; a first-edition, first-printing copy will show that flap price intact and unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
US true first, published by Simon & Schuster in 1985.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are printed on lighter bulk, omit the jacket flap price, and carry a small blind-stamped indentation on the rear board; they lack the copyright-page number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Contact: A Novel* by Carl Sagan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/contact-a-novel
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.