The Penultimate Truth (1964) Signed First Edition Reference

The Penultimate Truth imagines most of humanity living in underground bunkers, believing a nuclear war rages on the surface. In fact, the war ended long ago, and the surface is a paradise controlled by a ruling elite who maintain the fiction of ongoing conflict to keep the underground workers producing. Published in 1964 by Belmont Books, the novel is Dick’s most explicit treatment of government deception as a total system.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: Belmont Books, New York Publication date: 1964 Format: Mass-market paperback original

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition, fine: $1,000–$3,000
• Unsigned first edition, fine: $50–$150

The novel’s premise — a fake war maintained to control a population — has gained relevance with each passing decade. It is not among Dick’s most celebrated works, but its thematic prescience gives it enduring interest.