Lois McMaster Bujold First Editions

• Ethan of Athos — 1986 · Baen BooksBaen mass-market paperback original, December 1986; 256 pages; cover art by Alan Gutierrez. The copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, December 1986) with no later printings listed below it. The US Baen paperback original (December 1986) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover. No book club edition of the first is known; the NESFA Press hardcover is a much later edition. Later Baen printings add subsequent printing statements beneath the first-printing line.
• Shards of Honor — 1986 · Baen BooksBaen mass-market paperback original, June 1986; copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, June 1986) with no later printings listed; cover art by Alan Gutierrez. Bujold's debut novel and the opening of the Vorkosigan saga. The US Baen paperback original (June 1986) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover in any country. The first hardcover appearance was the book club omnibus Test of Honor (Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, 1987), which pairs it with The Warrior's Apprentice; the Baen omnibus Cordelia's Honor (1996) and later NESFA Press hardcovers are also not the first.
• The Warrior's Apprentice — 1986 · Baen BooksBaen Books mass-market paperback original, August 1986 (ISBN 0-671-65587-6); the copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, August 1986) with no later printings listed. First Miles Vorkosigan novel; the cover art was originally commissioned for an unused Keith Laumer title, with Miles added to the scene. The US Baen paperback original (August 1986) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover, so the first printing is identified by the stated August 1986 printing line and the 0-671-65587-6 ISBN. The first hardcover appearance was the book-club omnibus Test of Honor (Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, 1987), which pairs it with Shards of Honor; the NESFA Press hardcover is a much later edition. Neither is the true first.
• Falling Free — 1988 · Baen Books, New YorkBaen mass-market paperback original, wraps, 307 pages; first printing stated as 'First printing, April 1988' with a number line; original cover price on the front. Issued as a paperback original with no preceding US hardcover. The Baen mass-market paperback original (April 1988) is the true first book edition. The novel was earlier serialized in Analog, but magazine serialization does not displace the first book edition. Later printings advance the number line. No paperback book club edition; later printings are distinguished by a higher cover price and an advanced number line.
• Borders of Infinity — 1989 · Baen BooksBaen Books mass-market paperback original (ISBN 0-671-69841-9); the copyright page states First printing, October 1989. A story collection of three Miles Vorkosigan novellas, The Mountains of Mourning, Labyrinth, and The Borders of Infinity, joined by a framing story; cover art by Gary Ruddell. No prior trade or hardcover edition. The Baen paperback original (first printing, October 1989) is the true first edition of the collection; the three component novellas appeared earlier in magazines and anthologies. No standalone book-club edition, but the Science Fiction Book Club issued a 1990 GuildAmerica hardcover omnibus, Vorkosigan's Game, combining The Vor Game with Borders of Infinity; that omnibus is not a first edition of this title.
• Brothers in Arms — 1989 · Baen BooksBaen Books mass-market paperback original, January 1989, with cover art by Alan Gutierrez. The copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, January 1989) and lists no later printings; there is no separate number line, so the printing statement itself is the point. A fifth Miles Vorkosigan novel issued directly into paperback in the standard Baen rack format. The US Baen paperback original (January 1989) is the true first; the book was never issued in hardcover at first publication, so no earlier hardcover exists. No book-club edition of the first paperback is known. Later appearances, including the NESFA Press hardcover and the various Miles Vorkosigan omnibus volumes, are distinct later editions rather than states of this first.
• The Vor Game — 1990 · Baen BooksPaperback original from Baen carrying the printed cover price; the first printing states 'First printing, September 1990' on the copyright page with a number line retaining the 1. Cover art by Tom Kidd. The US Baen 1990 paperback original is the true first edition. There was no simultaneous hardcover; later omnibus and hardcover collections are 'first thus'. There was no book-club edition of the original paperback; later Baen printings update the number line. Omnibus editions such as 'Young Miles' are not the first appearance.
• Barrayar — 1991 · Baen BooksMass-market paperback original from Baen, ISBN 0-671-72083-4, 389 pages; first printing dated October 1991 with the number line ending in 1 and the original printed cover price present. Cover art by Stephen Hickman. The US Baen 1991 mass-market paperback original is the true first edition. A leather Easton Press collector hardcover also appeared in 1991 but is a separate collector issue, not the trade first. Later omnibus collections (Cordelia's Honor) are 'first thus'. No book-club edition for the original paperback; later Baen printings advance the number line so it no longer ends in 1.
• The Spirit Ring — 1992 · Baen BooksFirst edition, Baen Books, Riverdale, New York, published November 1992; the copyright page states First printing, November 1992 with a full number line. Her first standalone fantasy novel and her first trade hardcover, issued in a dust jacket that should retain the original printed price on the front flap. US Baen hardcover (November 1992) is the true first; her first standalone fantasy novel and her first trade hardcover. A mass-market paperback followed in 1993. A book-club hardcover exists; identify it by the absence of a printed price on the jacket flap and, on club printings generally, the blindstamp to the rear board.
• Mirror Dance — 1994 · Baen BooksFirst hardcover from Baen (Riverdale, New York), with the copyright page stating First printing, March 1994; cover art by Gary Ruddell. Bound in black boards with gilt lettering on the spine, issued in a pictorial dust jacket. ISBN 0671722107 (9780671722104). Baen hardcovers of this title are scarce. The US Baen 1994 hardcover is the true first; Baen issued the hardcover ahead of the mass-market paperback. A later Easton Press signed leather edition exists (issued without a dust jacket). The later omnibus Miles Errant is first thus only. No prominent book-club edition; confirm the copyright page reads First printing, March 1994. Mass-market paperback printings are later.
• Cetaganda — 1996 · Baen BooksBaen hardcover published January 1996, the copyright page stating first printing with a number line ending in 1. Bound in black boards with silver spine lettering; cover and jacket art by Gary Ruddell. The volume includes a series chronology at the rear. The original dust jacket should retain its printed price. US Baen hardcover (January 1996) is the first book edition; the novel was serialized earlier in Analog, October through December 1995. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists and is distinguished by a blind-stamped gutter code to the rear and an unpriced dust jacket, versus the priced trade jacket of the Baen first.
• Memory — 1996 · Baen BooksBaen Books hardcover, October 1996. The copyright page reads "First Edition: October 1996" and carries a full descending or ascending printer's key with the numeral 1 present; a true first has the 1 in the number line. The dust jacket is a priced trade jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap and not clipped away on a true trade copy). Issued in publisher's boards with a pictorial Baen jacket. The US Baen hardcover (October 1996) is the true first edition; there was no prior UK or hardcover printing. A Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC) edition also exists and is easily confused with the trade first. Tell it apart by the blind-stamped gutter code (a small number/letter pressed into the lower rear board or final gathering), the absence of a printed price on the jacket flap, and typically a slightly smaller trim and lighter bulk than the Baen trade printing.
• Komarr — 1998 · Baen BooksBaen Books hardcover, ISBN 0-671-87877-1; the copyright page states 'First printing, June 1998' with a number line descending to 1. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price (present, unclipped). US Baen hardcover (June 1998) is the true first trade edition; a later signed limited edition exists but does not precede it. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists, printed from the same plates but on cheaper bulked paper; identify it by the blindstamped gutter/rear-board code and an unpriced dust jacket, versus the priced Baen trade jacket.
• A Civil Campaign — 1999 · Baen BooksBaen hardcover, subtitled A Comedy of Biology and Manners; copyright page states First printing, September 1999 with number line ending in 1. Priced dust jacket. US Baen hardcover (September 1999) is the true first. SFBC edition exists; identifiable by gutter code and unpriced jacket.
• The Curse of Chalion — 2001 · Eos/HarperCollinsEos/HarperCollins hardcover, first published August 2001, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and a full number line descending to 1; issued in a priced dust jacket that should retain its printed price. First volume set in Bujold's World of the Five Gods. US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (August 2001) is the true first; no earlier edition precedes it. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; club copies are typically distinguished by a blind gutter-code (dot or number) to the lower rear board and lack the trade number line and printed jacket price.
• Diplomatic Immunity — 2002 · Baen BooksBaen hardcover of 2002; the copyright page states 'First printing, May 2002' (Baen states first printing with month and year rather than 'First Edition') with a full number line ending in 1. Bound in two-part grayish-blue boards with red metallic spine lettering, 311 pages, in a priced dust jacket. US Baen hardcover (May 2002) is the true first. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists and is distinct from the Baen trade first; the SFBC issue lacks the 'First printing, May 2002' statement and the number line ending in 1.
• Paladin of Souls — 2003 · EosFirst Eos/HarperCollins hardcover, 2003 (first published September 2003), stating "First Edition" on the copyright page with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Dust jacket art by David Bowers, with the printed price present on the front flap. The US Eos 2003 hardcover is the true first. The UK Voyager/HarperCollins edition is separate/later. The Science Fiction Book Club edition is a separate book-club issue: blind-stamp on the rear board, no printed jacket price, and it lacks the trade first-edition points. Confirm the trade jacket and the stated "First Edition" with the descending number line ending in 1.
• The Hallowed Hunt — 2005 · Eos/HarperCollinsEos/HarperCollins hardcover, New York, 2005 (ISBN 0-06-057462-3), with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and the number line present. Bound in cloth boards (brown boards with an orange/patterned spine as noted by dealers) in a priced dust jacket; the printed price should be present on the front flap. A first-issue jacket carries the David Bowers cover art with no later-printing or paperback tie-in wording. US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (2005) is the true first trade edition. A signed, numbered limited edition of 750 copies from Hill House Publishers (2005), issued in full silk boards within a full silk clamshell box and with a separate specialty production distinct from the trade issue, exists as a collector's edition. Trade and club printings differ from the stated-first Eos issue; confirm 'First Edition' with the number line and the original priced jacket rather than relying on the year alone.
• The Sharing Knife: Beguilement — 2006 · Eos/HarperCollinsEos/HarperCollins (New York) hardcover, 2006; volume 1 of The Sharing Knife. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Boards brown and green with gilt titling to the spine. First-issue dust jacket bears cover art credited to Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell and carries the printed price at the top of the front flap (present and unclipped on a first-state jacket);…. US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (2006) is the true first. Book-club (SFBC) and later-printing issues lack the full number line down to 1 and the flap-printed publisher price; trade later printings show a shortened number line.
• The Sharing Knife: Legacy — 2007 · Eos/HarperCollinsEos/HarperCollins (New York) hardcover, 2007; volume 2 of The Sharing Knife. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. First-issue dust jacket bears cover art credited to Julie Bell and carries the printed price on the front flap (present and unclipped on a first-state jacket); ISBN 978-0-06-113905-5. US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (2007) is the true first. Book-club and later-printing issues lack the full number line down to 1 and the flap-printed publisher price; trade later printings show a shortened number line.
• The Sharing Knife: Passage — 2008 · Eos/HarperCollinsEos/HarperCollins (New York) hardcover, 2008; volume 3 of The Sharing Knife. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete number line down to 1. First-issue dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap (present and unclipped on a first-state jacket); ISBN 978-0-06-137533-0. US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (2008) is the true first. Book-club and later-printing issues lack the full number line down to 1 and the flap-printed publisher price; trade later printings show a shortened number line.
• The Sharing Knife: Horizon — 2009 · Eos/HarperCollinsUS Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (January 2009); the copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line running to 1. Fourth and final Sharing Knife volume. The dust-jacket art for the series is by Julie Bell; the first-issue trade jacket should retain its printed price (presence only, no amount). The US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (January 2009) is the true first edition and first appearance in print. A book-club edition exists and is a common later-printing tell: it is a smaller, lighter volume, lacks the full number line, and its jacket carries no printed price (often marked 'Book Club Edition' on the front flap).
• Cryoburn — 2010 · Baen BooksBaen Books hardcover, October 2010, in dust jacket with cover art by David Seeley. The copyright page carries the first-printing statement with the full number line descending to 1. The defining first-printing point is a CD-ROM affixed to the rear pastedown: the Cryoburn CD, which holds the full Vorkosigan Saga ebook library in several formats along with the Vorkosigan Companion. The priced dust jacket should…. The US Baen hardcover (October 2010, ISBN 9781439133941) is the true first, identified by the complete number line and the bound-in rear CD-ROM. Trade and book-club copies exist; the club edition lacks the descending number line and the rear-mounted CD-ROM.
• Captain Vorpatril's Alliance — 2012 · Baen BooksBaen trade hardcover, November 2012, with the copyright page stating the first printing and a full number line descending to 1; the printed-price first-issue dust jacket bears David Seeley's cover art. Confirm the first printing by the presence of the '1' in the number line together with the retained printed jacket price. US Baen trade hardcover (November 2012) is the true first. Baen also issued a separate signed limited edition at publication (November 6, 2012) under its own ISBN, with the author's signature on a publisher's tipped-in leaf; that special edition is a distinct issue from the trade first. A book-club edition exists; it lacks the full number line and the printed jacket price of the Baen trade first.
• Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen — 2016 · Baen BooksBaen trade hardcover; copyright page states first printing with a full number line to 1. First-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap. ISBN 9781476781228. A separate signed limited edition (ISBN 9781476781785) was issued at publication, signed by the author on a publisher's tipped-in leaf. US Baen trade hardcover (February 2016) is the true first; a signed limited edition (9781476781785) appeared simultaneously with a tipped-in signature leaf. Trade and book club copies exist; the club edition lacks the number line and the jacket price.

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