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The following descriptions of Ballard's books are orientated towards first editions, or speaking more strictly, first printings of first editions. I have followed the practice of Russell's Guide to First Edition Prices and listed both U.K. and U.S. first editions, as well as paperback editions but only where a paperback is the first edition in any format in the relevant country. I have also listed a small number of other editions that are of particular interest. The later novels are much more straightforward in bibliographic terms, and therefore only brief publication details are given.
I have noted cases where there are difficulties in identifying a particular edition or printing, where I am aware of them, and also common faults to watch out for (for example, some titles are particularly prone to fading of the colours on the spine of the dust jacket). Also noted are novels where I am aware that a Book Club edition was produced, a particular difficulty in the U.S. where they can be easily mistaken for a first edition.
Where a novel was first published in paperback format, it may well have been re-
Written by Ballard in ten days, in order to give himself a start as a full-
The first book publication was as a U.S. paperback (Berkley, 1962), with considerable changes including the omission of an epilogue which had concluded the magazine version. Berkley re-
The only hardback publication was in the U.S. as a 'two novels for one' with The Drowned World (Doubleday, 1965). Many copies of this edition suffer from splitting of the spine at the free front end paper (apparently a common problem with Doubleday books around this time). Doubleday also printed a Book Club edition of The Wind from Nowhere / The Drowned World.
Berkley p/b, 1962
Doubleday, 1965
Penguin p/b, 1967
Berkley reprint, 1966
The Drowned World was initially published in an abbreviated form in Science Fiction Adventures #24 (Jan 1962). The first full length book edition was again a U.S. paperback (Berkley, 1962). Note that there was a later reprint of the Berkley edition (1966), which had a completely different cover.
The novel's first hardback edition was in the U.K. (Gollancz, 1962); the initial printing is dated 1962, although it was apparently not published until January 1963. There were also a number of subsequent impressions of the Gollancz edition, the second being in February 1963, up to (at least) a sixth impression in 1978. Care is therefore needed to make sure that a 'first edition' is in fact a first impression, dated 1962, and that it has the correct dust jacket rather than a later version -
Some years later there appeared a profusely illustrated, large format edition (Dragon's Dream, 1981) in both hardcover and paperback.
The Drowned World was not published in the U.S. as a hardback, other than the combined edition with The Wind from Nowhere by Doubleday, until W. W. Norton brought out a Fiftieth Anniversary Edition in 2012.
Berkley p/b, 1962
Gollancz, 1962
Science Fiction Book Club, 1964
Dragons Dream, 1981
Norton, 2012
First published as a U.S. paperback entitled The Burning World (Berkley, 1964), and then as a U.K. hardback, re-
Berkley p/b, 1964
Cape, 1965
Ballard had originally written a short story, The Illuminated Man, which had appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (May 1964), and he utilized this story as the basis for his next novel. An abbreviated version appeared as a two-
The book length version of The Crystal World first appeared as a U.K. hardback (Cape, 1966) and then as a U.S. hardback (Farrar Straus, 1966). Both editions sported a wrap-
Cape re-
A related item that is sometimes listed as one of Ballard's publications is By Day Fantastic Birds Flew Through the Petrified Forest. This is in fact a poster by the artist Ivan Tyrrell, which includes a 43 word extract from The Crystal World. It was issued in 1967 by Eosgraphics for Firebird Visions Limited, with 50 copies of the issue being signed by Ballard (the remaining issues were unsigned), and is screenprinted in dayglo orange, yellow, dark blue, and gold.
Cape, 1966
Farrar Straus, 1966
Easton Press, 1991
Poster by Ivan Tyrrell, 1967
The germs of the ideas behind Crash can be found in a number of the short stories that were included in The Atrocity Exhibition (one of which was actually entitled Crash!), although none of these pieces bore any relation to the plot of the later novel. Crash was first published in the U.K. by Cape (1973) and then in the U.S. by Farrar Straus (also 1973). There was a second impression of the Cape edition in 1974.The laminate covering the dust jacket of the Cape edition has a tendency to ripple and to separate from the underlying paper, and the largely white cover of the U.S. edition can suffer from tanning.
A special ‘Collector’s Edition’ was published by Fourth Estate in 2017, edited by Chris Beckett, archivist for Ballard’s papers at the British Library. This expanded edition includes reproductions of pages from Ballard’s original typescript, together with contemporaneous material such as the rarely seen short story Journey Across a Crater and Ballard’s draft script for Harley Cokeliss’s 1971 film ‘Crash!’. A U.S. version of this special edition was published by Rare Bird Books in 2019.
Cape, 1973
Farrar Straus, 1973
Collector’s Edition,
Fourth Estate, 2017
Deluxe Edition, Rare Bird Books, 2019
CONCRETE ISLAND
Having not had a novel published for seven years until Crash in 1973, Ballard was now on a roll with Concrete Island following a year later ...
Cape re-
Cape, 1974
Farrar Straus, 1974
... and the third of the 'urban disaster trilogy' was published in the U.K. in 1975. The U.K. edition from Cape is often seen price-
The first U.S. edition did not occur until two years later, with a change of publisher for Ballard -
Cape, 1975
Holt Rinehart, 1977
Each of the next few novels offer something different from the 'disaster' and 'urban disaster' novels that preceded them; The Unlimited Dream Company contained substantial fantasy elements.
Cape, 1979
Holt Rinehart, 1979
Originally intended as a book for juveniles, Hello America was published by Cape in 1981. The U.S. edition did not appear until 1988, from Carroll & Graf.
Cape, 1981
Carroll & Graf, 1988
EMPIRE OF THE SUN
The first edition of Empire of the Sun, probably Ballard's most well-
Gollancz also published a special signed and numbered edition of 100 copies, also dated 1984. These came with a slipcase and a fragile glassine dust jacket.
The first U.S. edition appeared from Simon & Schuster, also in 1984.
Gollancz, 1984
First state jacket with two reviews
Gollancz, 1984, limited signed edition in slipcase
Simon & Schuster, 1984
The Gollancz edition of Empire of the Sun had two proof copies that are of note. The normal 'uncorrected proof' came with a dust jacket that was larger than the proof (and distinguishable from the first edition jacket by the inclusion of a price of "£8.99 APPX"); this jacket is usually creased where it overhangs the book, and the proof is frequently seen for sale without any jacket. There was also an earlier proof, shot from the author's typescript and including a few (very minor) handwritten corrections; only a small number were issued -
There was also a second version of the initial proof, which contained the publication details on the first page as well as the cover. A comparison of the corrections in each version shows that the earlier is that with the publication details on the front cover only (thanks to Jim Goddard for this).
Description on front of initial Gollancz proof
Description on front of later Gollancz proof
Granada, who had paperback rights, published an edition that was described on the copyright page as a "Special overseas edition". This was supposed to be published at the same time as the initial Gollancz hardback, in order to prevent the Gollancz being pirated in Far Eastern markets, but some believe that the Granada "Special" became available for purchase slightly before the Gollancz edition ... making it the 'true first' of Empire of the Sun.
Granada, Special overseas edition, p/b, 1984
THE DAY OF CREATION
Gollancz published the first U.K. edition (1987), and it was back to Farrar Straus for the first U.S. edition (1988). There was a second impression of the Gollancz edition.
Gollancz again published a special signed and numbered edition of 100 copies issued in a slipcase, but I believe that in this case there was no dust jacket. As with Empire of the Sun, there was also an initial proof shot from Ballard's typescript, in a pale blue cover (the final proof, with a white, illustrated cover, is fairly common).
Gollancz, 1987
Gollancz, 1987, limited signed edition in slipcase
Farrar Straus, 1988
RUNNING WILD
Running Wild (1988) was a novella written for a series of short fiction published by Hutchinson in the U.K.; it was illustrated by Janet Woolley. U.S. publication, without illustrations, was in the following year by Farrar Straus.
Hutchinson, 1988
Farrar Straus, 1989
THE KINDNESS OF WOMEN
Harper Collins, 1991, U.K.
Farrar Straus, 1991, U.S.
RUSHING TO PARADISE
Harper Collins/Flamingo, 1994, U.K.
Picador, 1995, U.S.
COCAINE NIGHTS
Harper Collins/Flamingo, 1996, U.K.
Counterpoint, 1998, U.S.
SUPER-
Harper Collins/Flamingo, 2000, U.K.
Picador, 2001, U.S.
MILLENNIUM PEOPLE
W. W. Norton eventually published a U.S. edition of Millennium People in June 2011.
Harper Collins/Flamingo, 2003
Norton, 2011
KINGDOM COME
Originally published in the U.K. in 2006, a U.S. edition of Kingdom Come finally appeared in March 2012.
Harper Collins/Fourth Estate, 2006
Norton, 2012