The Flip-Flop from Outer Space

First pointed out by collector Bill Taylor of Alberta, Canada, here is the only example I have ever seen of a book that used original front and back cover art and reversed them for different releases.

I found it all a little confusing, so Sci Fi fan Don Erikson, from Portland, OR, explained it for me.

Skyfall, by Harry Harrison, was released as Ace 76941-1 AND 76942-X in 1978, one as a straight science fiction novel, and one marketed as a futurist "disaster novel." Both were presented as first printings. That means, of course, that Ace printed a single large run and wrapped it in two different covers which flip-flopped the artwork.

The novel was then reprinted in 1985 as Ace 76945-4, but there was no artwork on the back cover.

For just about everything you ever wanted to know about this novel, click HERE. (Don is a regular contributor to ISFDB.)

Click any image for a larger view.

Ace 76941-1 (top) is courtesy of Bill Taylor.

Ace 76942-X (middle) is courtesy of Bob Gaines.

Ace 76945-4 (bottom) is courtesy of Don Erikson.

And finally, the last image was sent by Bill Taylor, with a further note:

The book was reprinted in 1980 with the same covers as 76941-1, but as 76943-8 [the back covers were identical].

What makes this interesting is that it was obviously planned for another double release but the alternate edition just wasn’t done. By the progressive catalog # system that Ace used, it would have had catalog # 76944-? but that number has never been used by Ace. And the ’85 edition noted had the next catalog # in line 76945-4.