I, Robot (1950) Signed First Edition Reference

I, Robot is one of the most influential science fiction books ever published. The 1950 Gnome Press first edition collects nine stories that established Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics — a framework that has shaped not only science fiction but actual robotics and AI ethics. The stories are linked through the frame narrative of robopsychologist Susan Calvin being interviewed by a journalist.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Gnome Press, New York Publication date: 1950 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket

The Gnome Press edition preceded the more widely available Signet paperback (1956). The Gnome Press dust jacket is essential to collectibility.

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition (Gnome Press), fine/fine: $3,000–$8,000
• Unsigned first edition with jacket: $1,000–$3,000
• Unsigned first edition without jacket: $200–$500

I, Robot is arguably Asimov’s single most important book — the one that embedded the concept of programmatic robot ethics into both science fiction and real-world technology discourse. A signed Gnome Press first is a top-tier Golden Age collecting achievement.