# Is "A Crown of Swords (WoT 7)" by Robert Jordan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Crown of Swords (WoT 7) by Robert Jordan (Tor Books, 1996) is identified by: The copyright page reads "First Edition: June 1996" and carries a full number line still including the 1, even though the book actually reached shelves in mid-May 1996 (release date 15 May 1996); the stated June date together with the intact number line marks the first printing. US Tor is the true first; the UK Orbit hardcover appeared at essentially the same time and does not precede it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page reads "First Edition: June 1996" and carries a full number line still including the 1, even though the book actually reached shelves in mid-May 1996 (release date 15 May 1996); the stated June date together with the intact number line marks the first printing
- Issued in a priced dust jacket with Darrell K. Sweet cover art
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Jordan |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page reads "First Edition: June 1996" and carries a full number line still including the 1, even though the book actually… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Tor hardcover. The copyright page reads "First Edition: June 1996" and carries a full number line still including the 1, even though the book actually reached shelves in mid-May 1996 (release date 15 May 1996); the stated June date together with the intact number line marks the first printing. Issued in a priced dust jacket with Darrell K. Sweet cover art.

## Is this the true first?
US Tor is the true first; the UK Orbit hardcover appeared at essentially the same time and does not precede it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
SFBC book-club copies are physically smaller, printed on cheaper paper, lack the number line, and carry no printed price on the jacket. Later Tor printings drop numbers from the line so the 1 no longer appears.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Crown of Swords (WoT 7)* by Robert Jordan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-crown-of-swords-wot-7
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.