Brandon Sanderson First Editions

• Elantris — 2005 · Tor BooksTor first hardcover (ISBN 0765311771), Sanderson's debut novel, published April 21, 2005, with Stephan Martiniere jacket art. The first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and the printed price on the jacket. The US Tor hardcover is the true first; the UK Gollancz followed. The Science Fiction Book Club edition is smaller, carries a blind-stamped gutter-code dot on the rear board, has an unpriced jacket, and lacks the complete number line.
• Mistborn: The Final Empire — 2006 · Tor BooksTor first hardcover with a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; jacket bears its printed price on the front flap and Jon Foster's cover art; not remainder-marked and not a book-club edition. Bound in navy cloth with red spine lettering and red rules. The US Tor hardcover is the true first of the Mistborn trilogy; the UK Gollancz is the UK first. Confirm the Tor first printing by the full number line terminating in 1. The Science Fiction Book Club edition is smaller and lighter, carries a gutter-code blind stamp and an unpriced jacket, and lacks the full number line.
• The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2) — 2007 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover, published August 21, 2007. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, accompanied by a full number line reading 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (the terminal 1 present). Bound in black paper boards with the spine lettered in silver, issued in the pictorial dust jacket. The first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price and is not clipped on unrestored copies; jacket wear and clipping do not by…. US Tor true first; UK Gollancz editions of the Mistborn trilogy follow later. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line (2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 or higher); book-club copies differ.
• The Hero of Ages (Mistborn 3) — 2008 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover (ISBN 9780765316899), published October 14, 2008, the concluding volume of the original Mistborn trilogy. 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page above a full number line descending to and including the 1, in the form 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The first-issue dust jacket shows the Sam Weber cover art and should retain its printed price on the front flap. US Tor is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition follows. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; confirm the stated 'First Edition' and the terminal 1 are both present.
• Warbreaker — 2009 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover, published June 2009, issued as part of Tor's 'Sci Fi Essential Books' promotion (noted on the jacket). 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a full number line including the 1. US Tor true first in print; UK Gollancz follows. Sanderson released draft versions free online before publication, but the Tor hardcover is the first print edition. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; book-club copies differ.
• The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive 1) — 2010 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover, published August 31, 2010. Copyright page states 'First Edition: August 2010' with a number line ending in 1. Michael Whelan jacket art; interior maps and illustrations by Isaac Stewart and Ben McSweeney. US Tor is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition followed in late 2010. The flagship Stormlight collectible. Later Tor printings keep the 'First Edition: August 2010' line but the number line no longer reaches 1 — the number line, not the edition statement, identifies the printing. Leatherbound anniversary editions are separate.
• The Alloy of Law (Mistborn Era 2, 1) — 2011 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover, published November 8, 2011, ISBN 9780765330420; 'First Edition: November 2011' stated on the copyright page with the number line descending to 1. Jacket art by Chris McGrath; a first-state jacket retains the printed price. First book of the Wax and Wayne sequence (Mistborn Era 2). US Tor true first; the UK Gollancz edition followed on November 10, 2011. Later printings keep the First Edition line but the number line no longer reaches 1.
• The Emperor's Soul — 2012 · Tachyon PublicationsHugo Award winning novella. US Tachyon Publications trade paperback original, October 2012. Tachyon simultaneously issued a signed limited hardcover of 1,000 copies, bound in purple cloth with spine stamped on black, signed by Sanderson on the title page. The Tachyon trade paperback is the true first trade edition; the Tachyon signed limited hardcover is the premium issue of the same first edition. Later reissues include the Tachyon tenth anniversary special edition; the novella was also collected in Arcanum Unbounded (2016).
• Steelheart (Reckoners 1) — 2013 · Delacorte PressUS Delacorte Press hardcover (New York, 2013; ISBN 978-0-385-74356-3), published September 24, 2013, opening the Reckoners YA series. The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page above a full descending number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The dust jacket art is by Mike Bryan; a first-issue jacket retains the printed price on the rear panel. US Delacorte edition is the true first, preceding the UK Gollancz edition of September 26, 2013 by two days; also note Gollancz issued a signed limited edition. Later printings alter the copyright-page number line so it no longer descends to 1. Book club editions lack the printed jacket price and the complete number line.
• The Rithmatist — 2013 · Tor TeenYA fantasy, US Tor Teen hardcover published May 14, 2013 (ISBN 9780765320322). The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1 (the sequence descends to "1"). The book is a 304-page illustrated hardcover with numerous interior illustrations by Ben McSweeney. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed cover price and carries the McSweeney-styled…. The US Tor Teen edition (May 14, 2013) is the true first; the UK Orion Children's Books edition followed within days later in May 2013. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line while retaining the First Edition statement; no book club edition of note.
• Words of Radiance (Stormlight Archive 2) — 2014 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover, published March 4, 2014; 'First Edition: March 2014' stated with number line ending in 1. Text point: the first printing carries the original ending in which Kaladin kills Szeth; Sanderson revised the scene for later printings so that the storm kills Szeth instead. US Tor true first; UK Gollancz follows. First printings with the original Szeth ending are the first state of the text. Later printings carry the revised Szeth ending; leatherbound and anniversary editions are separate.
• Shadows of Self (Mistborn Era 2, 2) — 2015 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover, published 6 October 2015; ISBN 0765378558 / 9780765378552. The copyright page states 'First Edition: October 2015' with a complete number line descending to 1. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap; a first-state copy pairs that stated First Edition line and full number line with the jacket bearing the original artwork. US Tor true first; the UK Gollancz edition (ISBN 9781473208216) followed days later in October 2015. Later Tor printings retain the 'First Edition: October 2015' line but the number line no longer reaches 1; there was no separate hardcover book-club edition, so the number line is the reliable printing tell.
• Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection — 2016 · Tor BooksCosmere story collection. US Tor hardcover published November 22, 2016; 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a number line including 1. Contains the first appearance of the novella 'Edgedancer,' later issued as a standalone volume in 2017. The UK Gollancz hardcover was published November 10, 2016, twelve days before the US Tor edition, so the Gollancz edition is technically the true first; the US Tor first printing remains the standard collected US edition. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line.
• The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn Era 2, 3) — 2016 · Tor BooksUS Tor (Tom Doherty Associates) hardcover, published January 26, 2016, ISBN 978-0-765-37857-6; copyright Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC, 2016. The copyright page states 'First Edition: January 2016' above a full descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). First-state dust jacket present with the printed price on the front flap intact. US Tor is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition followed two days later, on January 28, 2016. Later Tor printings retain the 'First Edition: January 2016' line but the number line no longer reaches 1. A separately numbered signed/limited state (ISBN 978-0-765-38601-4) also exists and is not the trade first printing.
• Oathbringer (Stormlight Archive 3) — 2017 · Tor BooksUS Tor Books hardcover published November 14, 2017. A first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page and carries the full number line reading 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright/title verso; the presence of the terminal 1 confirms the first printing. Bound in ochre boards with gilt spine stamping. The dust jacket should retain its original printed price at the lower flap corner (a clipped jacket is…. US Tor is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition followed on November 16, 2017. Later Tor printings show a shortened number line missing the 1. The signed leatherbound Dragonsteel editions are separate later issues, not the trade first.
• Skyward (Skyward 1) — 2018 · Delacorte PressYA science fiction, first in the Skyward series. US Delacorte Press hardcover published November 6, 2018, with a complete number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 on the copyright page indicating the first printing. First-state dust jacket carries cover art by Charlie Bowater with jacket design by Regina Flath, and should retain the printed price on the front flap. US Delacorte and UK Gollancz editions were published simultaneously on November 6, 2018; the US Delacorte first printing, identified by the full number line to 1 and the Charlie Bowater jacket, is customarily collected as the first. Later printings show a number line no longer descending to 1; no separate trade book-club edition is a concern for the earliest printings.
• Starsight (Skyward 2) — 2019 · Delacorte PressUS Delacorte Press hardcover published November 26, 2019, in an illustrated hardcover of 461 pages; the first printing carries the full descending number line ending in 1, in the form 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price and be unclipped. US Delacorte and UK Gollancz editions were published simultaneously on November 26, 2019; the US Delacorte first printing is customarily collected as the first. Later Delacorte printings advance the number line, so that a lower number drops off the sequence (a third printing, for example, no longer shows the 1 2 3 run); confirm the complete line ending in 1 for a first printing.
• Rhythm of War (Stormlight Archive 4) — 2020 · Tor BooksUS Tor Books hardcover published November 17, 2020. A first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the full number line reading 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the terminal 1 confirms the first printing. The book carries full-color illustrated endpapers, a map printed on the reverse of the dust jacket, and interior illustrations. The dust jacket should retain its original printed price (clipping is a…. US Tor and UK Gollancz editions were published simultaneously on November 17, 2020; the US Tor first printing is customarily collected as the first. Later printings carry a number line missing the terminal 1. Signed leatherbound Dragonsteel editions are separate later issues.
• The Lost Metal (Mistborn Era 2, 4) — 2022 · Tor BooksUS Tor Books hardcover published November 15, 2022 (ISBN 9780765391193). A first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the complete number line running to 1 (0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Bound in black boards with silver spine lettering. The dust jacket should retain its original printed price (clipping is a condition point only). US Tor and UK Gollancz editions were published simultaneously on November 15, 2022; the US Tor first printing is customarily collected as the first. Later Tor printings show a number line missing the terminal 1.
• The Sunlit Man (Secret Project 4) — 2023 · Dragonsteel / TorTrue first is the Dragonsteel premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-39-1, 446 pp.) released to Kickstarter backers October 1, 2023; the Tor trade hardcover (ISBN 9781250899712) followed March 5, 2024, stating First Edition with a number line descending to 1. Dragonsteel premium hardcover (October 2023) precedes the Tor trade edition (March 2024) by roughly three months; the Tor trade is the widely available first. Two distinct editions: the Dragonsteel premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-39-1) versus the Tor trade hardcover (ISBN 9781250899712); later Tor printings drop the 1 from the number line.
• Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Project 1) — 2023 · Dragonsteel / TorTrue first is the Dragonsteel premium hardcover from the 2022 Year of Sanderson Kickstarter, shipped to backers beginning January 2023 with a January 10, 2023 release; it is a foil-stamped illustrated hardcover (illustrations by Howard Lyon), not a leatherbound. The Tor trade hardcover followed April 4, 2023, stating First Edition on the copyright page with a number line down to 1. Dragonsteel premium hardcover precedes the Tor trade edition; note both. The Tor trade hardcover is the widely available first. Two distinct editions: the Dragonsteel premium hardcover (Kickstarter and Dragonsteel direct sales) and the Tor trade hardcover; do not confuse the premium edition with a leatherbound, which Dragonsteel reserves for other titles.
• Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Secret Project 3) — 2023 · Dragonsteel / TorTrue first is the Dragonsteel Entertainment premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-37-7) released to Kickstarter backers July 1, 2023. The Tor trade hardcover (ISBN 9781250899699) followed October 3, 2023, stating First Edition with Tor's full number line counting down to 1 (Tor's first-printing key takes the form '0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). The Dragonsteel premium hardcover precedes the Tor trade edition; the Tor trade is the widely available first, confirmed by the countdown number line terminating in 1. Two distinct editions: the Dragonsteel premium hardcover versus the Tor trade hardcover; later Tor printings drop the 1 from the number line.
• Wind and Truth (Stormlight Archive 5) — 2024 · Tor BooksUS Tor hardcover published December 6, 2024; the first printing states First Edition on the copyright page with a number line running down to 1. The trade first is bound in gray paper over boards with the spine lettered in silver, runs to roughly xi + 1329 pages, and carries an unclipped dust jacket with the printed price present and a color map printed to the inside of the jacket. US Tor and UK Gollancz editions were published simultaneously on December 6, 2024; the US Tor edition is conventionally collected as the first. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; special retailer editions with sprayed edges and any later Dragonsteel leatherbound are separate from the trade first.

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