Time Out of Joint (1959) Signed First Edition Reference

Time Out of Joint is the novel that first demonstrated Dick’s ability to build an entirely convincing surface reality and then systematically dismantle it. Published in 1959, the novel follows Ragle Gumm, a man who makes his living winning a newspaper puzzle contest, as he gradually discovers that his entire small-town 1950s existence is a fabrication — a simulation designed to keep him performing a task of military importance. The concept prefigured The Truman Show by four decades.

First Edition Identification

Publisher: J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia Publication date: 1959 Format: Hardcover in dust jacket

The Lippincott hardcover is the true first — one of Dick’s earliest hardcover publications. The printing was small.

Signed Copy Market Values

• Signed first edition (hardcover), fine/fine: $3,000–$8,000
• Unsigned first edition (hardcover): $300–$800

An early Dick hardcover is inherently scarce. The novel’s thematic importance — it is the template for Dick’s reality-questioning masterworks — and the Lippincott imprint make this a significant collectible.