The 1996
Vintage Books/
Random House reissue of The Stars My Destination contains the complete work, as opposed to the numerous cheap
paperback versions out there, which discard large amounts of text (sometimes entire chapters!). While the plot remains mostly intact, the changes are
substantial - some persons and events have been removed, as well as a lot of background information which contributes to the "flavor" of the story.
The reissue also features an introduction by Neil Gaiman, which proclaims it to be "the perfect cyberpunk novel".
The poem which is referenced in the title reads:
Gully Foyle is my name
And Terra is my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
The Stars my destination
Warning: Small spoiler ahead!
This poem is read by Foyle at the very end of the book. It is a re-statement of the poem from the first chapter of the book, where the fourth line used to read "And Death's my destination". To me, the re-telling of the poem at the end of the novel shows that Foyle has finally made peace with himself, and is hopeful for the future.