Dawn. Signed by Octavia Butler. First Edition, First Printing. Warner Books. New York, 1987.

Octavia Butler is one of the most acclaimed science fiction authors of the last 50 years. She won several Nebula and Hugo Awards. She was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. Many of her works are considered genre classics, including Kindred, the Xenogenesis Series, and the Parable Series. In this volume, Dawn, she provides the first volume in the Xenogenesis series. It is a scifi novel about humans both saved and held captive by an alien species. The protagonist, Lilith, awakens to find herself in a kind of jail cell on an alien ship. Over the course of the novel, she learns about the sad fate of humanity and the aliens who rescued her and other survivors. The aliens, however, have their own motivations. They seek to interbreed with humans and build an evolved, hybrid race. The work received major praise from critics and readers alike. It led to later installments: Adult Rights and Imago. They were then republished together as the Xenogenesis series (later retitled to Lilith’s Brood). Among these installments, Dawn stands out as a dark, captivating work. It remains one of Butler’s most popular novels.

This first edition, first printing is signed by Butler on the title page. It is in about-fine condition. In the original quarter cloth, near-fine with only minor foxing to edges. Text block near-fine, only foxing to edges. Dust jacket about-fine, some foxing along edges and chipping to front panel.

An about-fine signed first edition by Octavia Butler.