# Is "Ancillary Justice" by Ann Leckie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Orbit, 2013) is identified by: First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, October 2013), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the original printed cover price. True first is the Orbit trade paperback original (2013); no simultaneous hardcover existed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, October 2013), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the original printed cover price
- The key point: there is no hardcover first edition — the true first is a trade paperback
- The UK Orbit issue is likewise a trade paperback
- Debut novel; won the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, BSFA, and Locus Best First Novel awards
- Publisher imprint reads Orbit
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ann Leckie |
| Publisher | Orbit |
| Year | 2013 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, October 2013), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, October 2013), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the original printed cover price. The key point: there is no hardcover first edition — the true first is a trade paperback. The UK Orbit issue is likewise a trade paperback. Debut novel; won the Hugo, Nebula, Arthur C. Clarke, BSFA, and Locus Best First Novel awards.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Orbit trade paperback original (2013); no simultaneous hardcover existed. A later Subterranean Press signed/limited hardcover is a separate, prized state. The first-printing trade paperback with a full number line ending in 1 is the desired first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The trap is expecting a hardcover first — there isn't one. Confirm the trade paperback first printing by the full number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ancillary Justice* by Ann Leckie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ancillary-justice
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.