Is My A Court of Mist and Fury a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Bloomsbury USA Children's, New York, published 3 May 2016, hardcover in jacket, ISBN 978-1-61963-446-6
• The first printing carries the full number line on the copyright page reading 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 — that is, the line begins with 1
• The second printing of the same edition is identical in binding, jacket and title page and is separated ONLY by its number line, which begins at 2 (2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10); multiple independent dealers describe both states in exactly these terms, and a second printing is routinely offered as a 'first edition' on the strength of the 2016 title page
• One secondary source circulating online gives the first-printing line as '2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1'; that is contradicted by the dealer consensus and by the documented second-printing state, and should not be relied on — check for the leading 1

How Bloomsbury USA Children's, New York marked a first edition

• First printings carry a full descending number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page; the lowest number (1) present = first printing

Full Bloomsbury USA Children's, New York first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Census claim corrected in an important respect. Publication was indeed same-day on both sides of the Atlantic — 3 May 2016 — but 'Bloomsbury simultaneous US/UK' is true of the date only, not the format: the US Bloomsbury USA Children's issue is a HARDCOVER, while the simultaneous Bloomsbury (UK) issue, ISBN 978-1-4088-5788-5, is a trade PAPERBACK, the ACOTAR series having been published as paperback originals in Britain. There is therefore no UK hardcover trade first to contend for precedence, and the collected first is unambiguously the US hardcover. The census is right that book 2 is a genuinely collected first printing in its own right and does not ride on book 1.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented for this title in the sources consulted. The 'first thus' traps are the later Bloomsbury US trade paperback (ISBN 978-1-63557-558-3), the reissues from 2020 onward with redesigned adult-market jackets, and above all the subscription-box and retailer-exclusive productions — Fairyloot, Illumicrate, Barnes & Noble and similar — which carry sprayed or painted edges, foiled boards, character-art endpapers and redesigned jackets. Those are separate later manufactures, never the 2016 first printing: sprayed edges on a Maas title are a mark of a special edition and are evidence against a trade first, not for one.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Court of Mist and Fury a first edition?

A first edition of A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury USA Children's, New York) is identified by: Bloomsbury USA Children's, New York, published 3 May 2016, hardcover in jacket, ISBN 978-1-61963-446-6.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). Census claim corrected in an important respect.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition is documented for this title in the sources consulted. The 'first thus' traps are the later Bloomsbury US trade paperback (ISBN 978-1-63557-558-3), the reissues from 2020 onward with redesigned adult-market jackets, and above all the subscription-box and retailer-exclusive productions — Fairyloot, Illumicrate, Barnes & Noble and similar — which carry sprayed or painted edges, foiled boards, character-art endpapers and redesigned jackets. Those are separate later manufactures

I have a first edition of A Court of Mist and Fury — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.