# Is "A Memory Called Empire" by Arkady Martine a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine (Tor Books, 2019) is identified by: First edition is the Tor hardcover (US, March 26, 2019), first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1, with a priced dust jacket; tan boards with gold spine lettering. The US Tor 2019 hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Tor hardcover (US, March 26, 2019), first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1, with a priced dust jacket; tan boards with gold spine lettering
- Unlike the paperback-original SF titles in this group, this title had a true Tor hardcover first edition
- Won the 2020 Hugo for Best Novel; first Teixcalaan novel
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arkady Martine |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Tor hardcover (US, March 26, 2019), first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1, with a priced… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Tor hardcover (US, March 26, 2019), first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1, with a priced dust jacket; tan boards with gold spine lettering. Unlike the paperback-original SF titles in this group, this title had a true Tor hardcover first edition. Won the 2020 Hugo for Best Novel; first Teixcalaan novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Tor 2019 hardcover is the true first. The UK edition (Tor UK / Pan Macmillan, 2019) is a separate first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted. Verify the Tor first printing by the number line ending in 1 and the priced dust jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Memory Called Empire* by Arkady Martine a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-memory-called-empire
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.