Collections

The Sandman was initially published as a monthly series. As the series increased in popularity, DC comics began publishing them in collections of related stories. A total of ten collections contain the full run of the series, and all have been kept in print.

Collected editionsEdit

The series is collected in trade paperbacks.

#	Title	Material collected	Publication date
1	Preludes and Nocturnes	The Sandman #01-08	1988
2	The Doll's House	The Sandman #09-16	1990
3	Dream Country	The Sandman #17-20	1991
4	Season of Mists	The Sandman #21-28	1990
5	A Game of You	The Sandman #32-37	1993
6	Fables and Reflections	The Sandman #29–31, 38–40, 50; Sandman Special #1; and Vertigo Preview No. 1	1990
7	Brief Lives	The Sandman #41–49	1994
8	World's End	The Sandman #51–56	January 1st 1994
9	The Kindly Ones	The Sandman #57–69 and Vertigo Jam No. 1 #49-54	September 1st 1989
10	The Wake	The Sandman #70–75	February 1996

Absolute editionsEdit

The DC Comics Absolute Edition series are large 8" by 12" prints of a considerably higher quality and price than the library edition, and include a leather-like cover and a slipcase. Many of the early stories have been extensively retouched and/or recolored with Gaiman's approval.^[1]

The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 1 collecting The Sandman #1–20, November 2006
The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 collecting The Sandman #21–39, October 2007
The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 3 collecting The Sandman #40–56, along with Vertigo Preview No. 1 and Sandman Special No. 1, June 2008
The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 4 collecting The Sandman #57–75, November 2008
The Absolute Death collecting The Sandman No. 8 and No. 20, Death: The High Cost of Living, "Death Talks About Life" AIDS pamphlet, Death: The Time of Your Life, Vertigo: Winter's Edge 2, "Death and Venice" from Endless Nights, "The Wheel" from 9-11 and extras from A Death Gallery, November 2009
The Absolute Sandman, Vol. 5 collecting The Sandman: Endless Nights plus The Dream Hunters and Sandman Midnight Theatre, November 2011

The first volume of The Absolute Sandman was published in November 2006; it collected the first 20 issues (Preludes and Nocturnes, The Doll's House, and Dream Country). The volume features a copy of the original series outline and other bonus features, such as a new introduction by the president of DC Comics, a new afterword, and a reproduction of the original comic draft and notes for "A Midsummer Night's Dream".^[1] In promotion of this reissuing, DC issued a refurbished edition of the first issue of the series.