A Brief History of Time : From the Big Bang to Black Holes by Stephen W. Hawking - April 1988

New York: Bantam, April 1988. Hardcover. First Edition. Rare surviving first state of the first printing of the U.S. First Edition. This printing was recalled and destroyed after a scientist reviewing an advance copy for the journal Nature noticed that the book was replete with errors. The few surviving copies are mostly those distributed as advance review copies. The corrected version of the book was reissued with a different ISBN and a dark blue dust jacket. Quarter-bound in black linen with black paper-covered boards, silver lettering to spine, SWH blind-stamped on front board. Light blue endpapers. No dedication or table of contents. Two extra paragraphs on page 34. Copyright page has ISBN 0-553-05243-8 and full number line. Silver-colored pictorial dust jacket with photographic portrait of Hawking by David Montgomery and no price or ISBN/barcode. Introduction by Carl Sagan. Very Good book in a Very Good jacket. Interior pristine. Slight bump to upper front edge. Spine straight and tight. Spine ends and lower corners lightly bumped. Jacket rubbed with wrinkling at author's name and light edgewear. No tears. No library or ownership markings. No remainder mark. Not clipped. x + 198 pages, 35 figures. See photos.