# Is "Dark Angel" by V.C. Andrews a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dark Angel by V.C. Andrews (Poseidon Press, 1986) is identified by: Hardcover first edition from Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster imprint), New York, 1986; second Casteel novel, following Heaven. The US Poseidon hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hardcover first edition from Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster imprint), New York, 1986; second Casteel novel, following Heaven
- First printing is identified by a complete number line running full to 1 on the copyright page (the presence of the '1' is the decisive point) with no later-printing statement, and by a first-state pictorial dust jacket carrying its original printed price on the front flap
- The jacket should retain that printed price to be first state, though an unclipped price is not itself proof of first printing without the number line
- Publisher imprint reads Poseidon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | V.C. Andrews |
| Publisher | Poseidon Press |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hardcover first edition from Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster imprint), New York, 1986; second Casteel novel, following Heaven |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Hardcover first edition from Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster imprint), New York, 1986; second Casteel novel, following Heaven. First printing is identified by a complete number line running full to 1 on the copyright page (the presence of the '1' is the decisive point) with no later-printing statement, and by a first-state pictorial dust jacket carrying its original printed price on the front flap. The jacket should retain that printed price to be first state, though an unclipped price is not itself proof of first printing without the number line.

## Is this the true first?
The US Poseidon hardcover is the true first. It precedes the Pocket Books mass-market paperback reprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book Club Edition is a hardcover distinguished by a small blindstamp on the lower rear board, the absence of any number line on the copyright page, and a dust jacket with no printed price on the front flap. Book-club copies are also typically on thinner, lower-bulk paper than the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dark Angel* by V.C. Andrews a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dark-angel-vc-andrews
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.