Orson Scott Card First Editions

• A Planet Called Treason — 1979 · St. Martin's PressSt. Martin's Press (New York) hardcover, 1979, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth-backed boards with the spine in blue and lettering stamped in gold. Issued in a priced dust jacket; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap. Card's first novel, published before the fame of Ender's Game. The book was heavily revised and reissued by St. Martin's in…. US St. Martin's hardcover (1979) is the true first; the 1988 'Treason' is a revised text and a distinct first-thus, not to be confused with this first edition. Dell mass-market paperback followed in 1980; a UK Pan paperback followed later. No priority-relevant hardcover book-club edition of the 1979 first is a common concern.
• Songmaster — 1980 · The Dial PressDial Press hardcover with 'First printing' stated on the copyright page. Bound in beige (tan) cloth with blue lettering stamped on the spine, octavo. The illustrated first-state dust jacket carries white title lettering on the front panel and spine and retains the printed price on the front flap (present, not clipped, on an unrestored first-issue jacket). US Dial Press hardcover (1980) is the true first, with 'First printing' stated on the copyright page. A Dial Press book-club edition was issued in the same year and appears nearly identical; it lacks the 'First printing' statement and the printed price on the jacket flap, and typically shows a blind-stamped depression on the rear board, which distinguishes it from the trade first.
• Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories — 1981 · The Dial PressCard's first hardcover story collection (the paperback-original collection 'Capitol' preceded it in 1979). Dial Press hardcover with 'First printing' stated on the copyright page; priced jacket. Includes the novelette 'Ender's Game'. US Dial Press hardcover (1981) is the true first; a UK Macdonald edition followed in 1983. A book-club issue, if encountered, lacks the jacket price and stated first printing.
• Hart's Hope — 1983 · Berkley BooksNew York: Berkley Books, February 1983. Mass-market paperback original with cover art by Kinuko Y. Craft; the first printing is identified by the statement 'Berkley edition/February 1983' on the copyright page. There was no 1983 US hardcover. The US Berkley mass-market paperback original (1983) is the true first. The first hardcover edition is the Severn House edition (London, 1993; some copies dated 1994), which appeared a full decade later. No contemporary book-club or hardcover issue; any early hardcover offered as such is the later Severn House edition, not a 1983 first.
• The Worthing Chronicle — 1983 · AceAce (New York) paperback original of 1983, first printing indicated by the number line on the copyright page; a first printing shows a complete line running to 1 with no advanced impression. This is Card's substantial rewrite of his 1979 first novel 'Hot Sleep': the major events are retained but the story is retold from the vantage of a character who meets the protagonist much later in life, so the text here is a…. The US Ace paperback original (1983) is the true first appearance of this revised text. The earlier, differently-narrated version was published as 'Hot Sleep' (Baronet, 1979); the two are separate texts, so 'Hot Sleep' does not precede this book as an edition of the same work. No book-club edition of the standalone 'Worthing Chronicle' text; the material was later revised again and folded into the 1990 omnibus 'The Worthing Saga', which is a distinct later publication and not a reprint of this Ace paperback.
• Ender's Game — 1985 · Tor BooksThe true first printing does not use the words 'First Edition'; instead the copyright page reads 'First TOR printing: January 1985' with no later printings listed and a number line ending in 1. Bound in blue paper-covered boards with a blue cloth spine lettered in silver. The first-state dust jacket carries art by John Harris, shows its printed price on the front flap, and bears a Gene Wolfe quotation on the rear…. US Tor hardcover is the true first (the novel expands the 1977 Analog novelette; the identifying statement is 'First TOR printing: January 1985'). Signed firsts are common since Card signs frequently, so a plain signature adds modest value; condition and a true first-printing copyright statement are what matter. SFBC book-club editions are distinct issues: they carry 'Book Club Edition' on the jacket flap with no printed price, a blind-stamped dot/code on the rear board, and use smaller trim and cheaper paper than the Tor trade first. A later 1986 SFBC omnibus (Ender's War) reprinted the text with Speaker for the Dead. Book-club printings are common and easily distinguished from the Tor first.
• Speaker for the Dead — 1986 · Tor BooksFirst printing carries the printed statement "First printing: March 1986" on the copyright page, together with a Tor number line that descends to 1 (the Tor form "0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1"). Issued in the original first-issue dust jacket, which should carry its printed cover price on the front flap; the price being intact confirms an unclipped example, though a neatly clipped jacket does not by itself demote a first…. The US Tor hardcover, first printing dated March 1986, is the true first edition. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and the direct sequel to Ender's Game. The Science Fiction Book Club edition is the common look-alike: it reads "Book Club Edition" on the jacket flap, carries no printed price, has a blind-stamped dot or square to the lower rear board, is slightly smaller, and is printed on lighter paper. It lacks the "First printing: March 1986" line and Tor number line of the true first.
• Seventh Son — 1987 · Tor BooksTor hardcover in dust jacket; the copyright page states 'First Edition' (Tor's first-printing convention is the stated 'First Edition' with no later-printing number line removing it). Priced jacket. Tales of Alvin Maker, Book I. The US Tor hardcover (1987) is the true first edition. Card is an American author and Tor was the original publisher; there is no earlier UK or Canadian edition. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; it is typically distinguished by a blind-stamped code on the rear board and the absence of a printed jacket price.
• Wyrms — 1987 · Arbor HouseArbor House (New York) hardcover, 1987 (ISBN 0-87795-894-7). The trade first printing has a dust jacket with the publisher's printed price present on the front flap and a copyright page carrying no statement of a later printing. The first-issue jacket should be present and unclipped to show that price, though clipping alone does not unmake a first. The US Arbor House hardcover (1987) is the true first; the UK edition followed in 1988. Science Fiction Book Club edition: bound in a noticeably smaller, thinner format from cheaper boards, blind-stamped (small square 'dot') on the rear board, and issued with a jacket lacking any printed price. The trade first is the taller book with the priced jacket.
• Red Prophet — 1988 · Tor BooksTor hardcover in dust jacket, pp. [8], 311; quarter black cloth over grey paper boards, gilt spine lettering, map endpapers and pastedowns. Copyright page states 'First Edition'. Dust jacket art by Dennis Nolan, retaining its printed front-flap price. Tales of Alvin Maker, Book II. The US Tor hardcover (1988) is the true first edition. No earlier UK or Canadian printing precedes it. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; distinguished by a blind-stamped rear-board code and the lack of a printed jacket price.
• Prentice Alvin — 1989 · Tor BooksTor Books (Tom Doherty Associates), New York, 1989 — The Tales of Alvin Maker, Book III (ISBN 0312931417). Hardcover in dust jacket with the copyright page stating 'First Edition' accompanied by a full descending number line ending in 1. First-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap (a collector's copy should retain it). Bound in paper-covered boards in the Tor manner of the period with stamped spine. The US Tor hardcover (1989) is the true first edition and first printing; no earlier foreign printing precedes it. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists and is distinguished by a blind-stamped code (dot or gutter code) to the rear board, the absence of a printed jacket price, and the lack of the stated 'First Edition' with full number line.
• The Abyss (novelization) — 1989 · Pocket BooksPocket Books mass-market paperback original (published June 1989), first printing per the full number line, running 363 pages. Written from James Cameron's screenplay; the text includes a short afterword by Cameron and a longer afterword by Card, a first-issue textual feature carried in this original edition. US Pocket paperback original (June 1989) is the true first; the UK Legend hardcover (London, 1989) is the first hardcover edition but follows the paperback. None. Later reissues reset the number line and may drop or alter the paired afterwords.
• The Folk of the Fringe — 1989 · Phantasia PressStory collection, octavo, 243 pages. Single Phantasia Press print run of 3,475 copies: 3,000 trade copies, 475 signed and numbered copies issued in a matching cloth slipcase, and 26 lettered copies. The signed/numbered and lettered copies carry Card's signature on the limitation page. Bound in red cloth boards; color pictorial jacket art by Carl Lundgren, with interior illustrations and endpapers by Glen R.…. US Phantasia Press hardcover (1989) is the true first; the 475-copy signed and numbered slipcased issue and the 26 lettered copies are deluxe states of that same first printing. The Tor trade edition followed in 1990. None. The later Tor edition is a separate trade publication, not a book-club printing.
• Maps in a Mirror: The Short Fiction of Orson Scott Card — 1990 · Tor BooksOmnibus story collection gathering forty-six stories in 675 pages. Tor hardcover (Tom Doherty Associates, New York, 1990), ISBN 0312850476, with 'First edition' stated on the copyright page and a full number line ending in 1. Jacket art is by Carol Russo; a first-state jacket retains the printed Tor price on the front flap (an unclipped flap is preferred). Confirm both the stated line and the terminal 1 in the…. The US Tor hardcover (1990) is the true first comprehensive collection of Card's short fiction. An SFBC edition exists and is typically thinner and lighter with a gutter-code blindstamp to the rear board and no printed price on the jacket; it lacks the Tor number line and is not the first edition.
• Xenocide — 1991 · Tor BooksTor hardcover in quarter black cloth over red paper boards; the copyright page reads 'First trade edition: August 1991' (not simply 'First Edition') with the number line 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; jacket priced. US Tor trade hardcover (August 1991) is the first trade edition and the standard collected first; Tor's own wording is 'first trade edition.' An Easton Press signed leatherbound edition was also issued in the same period as part of its Signed First Editions of Science Fiction series. An SFBC book club edition exists: smaller format with no price on the jacket.
• Lost Boys — 1992 · HarperCollinsHarperCollins hardcover with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page above the year line '92 93 94 95 96' and the printer's key 'RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' (RRD is the R.R. Donnelley printer code; the 1 present confirms first printing). The imprint reads 'HarperCollinsPublishers.' The dust jacket should retain its printed front-flap price. The US HarperCollins hardcover (1992) is the true first of the novel. Note the novel expands Card's earlier short story of the same title; the 1992 hardcover is the first edition of the book-length work. First printings have the priced jacket and the full 'RRD 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' key; a book-club copy shows an unpriced jacket and commonly a blind-stamp on the rear board rather than the R.R. Donnelley number line.
• The Memory of Earth — 1992 · Tor BooksTor hardcover; copyright page reads 'First edition: March 1992' with full number line ending in 1. Homecoming Saga vol. 1. A simultaneous signed limited edition of 325 copies (300 numbered) was also issued. US Tor hardcover (1992) is the true first. SFBC edition exists.
• The Call of Earth — 1993 · Tor BooksTor hardcover; 'First edition' stated on the copyright page with full number line ending in 1. Homecoming Saga vol. 2. A signed limited edition of 225 copies (200 numbered) was also issued as part of the first edition. US Tor hardcover (1993) is the true first; the record's 1992 date was wrong. SFBC edition exists.
• The Ships of Earth — 1994 · Tor BooksNew York: Tor, 1994. First trade edition in cloth-backed boards, 382 pp. The copyright page states 'First trade edition: February 1994' (not 'First Edition') followed by the full number line 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the terminal 1 confirms the first printing. Priced, unclipped dust jacket. Homecoming vol. 3. US Tor hardcover (February 1994) is the true first; the copyright page's own wording, confirmed by dealer descriptions, is 'First trade edition: February 1994' with the number line 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The book-club text appeared in the GuildAmerica/SFBC omnibus Homecoming: Harmony (1994), which combines volumes 1-3; first printings have a priced jacket.
• Alvin Journeyman — 1995 · Tor BooksTor hardcover (Tales of Alvin Maker, Book IV) in black paper-covered boards with gilt-titled spine and map-decorated endpapers; jacket art by Dennis Nolan. The copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line running to 1 on first printings, and the jacket carries its printed price on the front flap. Won the 1996 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. The US Tor hardcover (1995) is the true first edition. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; it is distinguished by a blind-stamped code to the rear board and a jacket without a printed price.
• Earthborn — 1995 · Tor BooksTor hardcover, New York, 1995, in quarter-cloth binding with the priced dust jacket (printed price present on the front flap). The copyright page states 'First trade edition: May 1995' (not 'First Edition') and carries a full number line descending to 1; concluding fifth volume of the Homecoming Saga. The US Tor hardcover (May 1995) is the true first; the copyright page's own wording is 'First trade edition,' with the '1' in the number line confirming the first printing. The book-club text also appeared in the GuildAmerica/SFBC omnibus Homecoming: Earth, which combines Earthfall and Earthborn; that omnibus is a separate club printing distinct from the Tor first.
• Earthfall — 1995 · Tor BooksTor hardcover, New York, ISBN 0-312-93039-9. The copyright page states 'First trade edition: February 1995' (not 'First Edition') with a full Tor number line descending to 1. Homecoming vol. 4. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its original printed price (any specific figure is not stated here). A signed limited issue also exists. US Tor hardcover (February 1995) is the true first; the copyright page's own wording is 'First trade edition,' which precedes the signed/limited state and any later printing. The book-club text appeared in the GuildAmerica/SFBC omnibus Homecoming: Earth, which combines Earthfall and Earthborn; the trade first is distinguished by the 'First trade edition: February 1995' statement and number line, features the club omnibus lacks.
• Children of the Mind — 1996 · Tor BooksTor hardcover, August 1996. Copyright page states 'First edition: August 1996' AND carries a full number line running down to 1; the first-edition statement alone is not enough, since later printings can retain it with a shortened number line. Priced jacket. US Tor hardcover (August 1996) is the true first. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; club copies lack the jacket price and full number line.
• Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus — 1996 · Tor BooksTor hardcover in cloth-backed boards with an illustrated dust jacket. The copyright page states 'First Edition: February 1996' with the full number line 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the 1 present indicates the first printing. First-printing jackets retain the printed price on the front flap. The US Tor hardcover (February 1996) is the true first. First printings have a jacket with the printed price present; a jacket lacking a printed price indicates a book-club copy.
• Heartfire — 1998 · Tor BooksTor Books (Tom Doherty Associates) hardcover, ISBN 0-312-85054-9, bound in quarter brown paper over orange paper-covered boards with gilt spine lettering; collation [10], 11-301, [3] pages. The copyright page states 'First Edition' with a number line descending to 1. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed front-flap price (present, unclipped). Tales of Alvin Maker, Book V. The US Tor hardcover (1998) is the true first edition. A Science Fiction Book Club edition exists; distinguished by a blindstamped code on the lower rear board and the absence of a printed price on the dust jacket, versus the priced Tor trade jacket which states 'First Edition' on the copyright page.
• Enchantment — 1999 · Del Rey/BallantineDel Rey / Ballantine Publishing Group octavo hardcover. The copyright page carries the stated-edition line 'First Edition: April 1999' followed by the full descending number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the presence of the 1 confirms the first printing. Issued in a priced dust jacket; the printed price should be present on the front flap. US Del Rey hardcover (April 1999) is the true first. No separate book-club issue confirmed; first printings have a priced jacket. Later Del Rey trade and mass-market paperbacks lack the 'First Edition: April 1999' statement and full number line.
• Ender's Shadow — 1999 · Tor BooksPublished by Tor Books (Tom Doherty Associates, New York). Copyright page states 'First Edition: September 1999' with the full Tor number line ending in 1 (0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); a first-issue jacket carries its original printed price. Jacket cover art by Lisa Falkenstern. Shadow Saga vol. 1, a parallel novel to Ender's Game. US Tor hardcover (1999) is the true first; the UK Orbit hardcover followed later the same year. An SFBC book-club edition exists; it lacks the jacket price and the full Tor number line, and typically carries the club's blind stamp to the rear board.
• Shadow of the Hegemon — 2001 · Tor BooksCopyright page states 'First Edition: January 2001' with the full Tor number line ending in 1 (0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Published by Tom Doherty Associates (Tor). Bound in purple cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine; the first-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap. Shadow Saga vol. 2. US Tor (Tom Doherty Associates) hardcover, 2001, is the true first. Trade paperback and book club editions exist; the club edition lacks the jacket price and the number line.
• Shadow Puppets — 2002 · Tor BooksTor hardcover, New York, ISBN 0-7653-0017-6, an octavo of 348 pages. The copyright page states 'First Edition: August 2002' with the full Tor number line ending 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (line must end in 1); published August 2002. The dust-jacket cover art is by Shane Rebenschied, and the jacket should retain its original printed price (any specific figure is not stated here). Shadow Saga vol. 3. US Tor hardcover (August 2002) is the true first. Trade paperback and book-club editions exist; the club edition is distinguished from the trade first by the absence of the jacket price and the full number line.
• The Crystal City — 2003 · Tor BooksUS Tor (Tom Doherty Associates) hardcover in dust jacket, 2003; the sixth volume of The Tales of Alvin Maker (subtitled 'The Tales of Alvin Maker VI'), 384 pp., ISBN 0-312-86483-3. The copyright page carries the Tor edition statement 'First Edition: November 2003', and the priced jacket should retain its printed price. The US Tor hardcover (2003) is the true first edition, preceding later paperback printings. A true first is identified by the 'First Edition: November 2003' statement together with a complete descending number line on the copyright page and a printed Tor jacket price; book-club copies typically lack the printed jacket price and the full number line.
• Magic Street — 2005 · Del Rey/BallantineFirst edition, first printing is the Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (New York, June 2005), identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1 (the standard Del Rey/Ballantine full descending line, 10 through 1). The jacket should carry its printed price on the front flap; the presence of a price and the intact number line together confirm the…. The US Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (2005) is the true first edition. A trade issue only. Del Rey/Ballantine book-club printings of this period are distinguished from the trade first by the absence of the number line and, typically, a jacket lacking the printed price; a copy missing the descending number line is not the trade first printing.
• Shadow of the Giant — 2005 · Tor BooksNew York: Tor Books, 2005, ISBN 9780312857585. The copyright page carries the Tor first-printing statement with the full number line ending in 1, and the first-issue dust jacket retains its printed price at the top of the front flap. Shadow Saga volume 4. US Tor hardcover (2005) is the true first. Trade paperback and book-club editions exist; the book-club edition lacks the printed jacket price and the full number line.
• Empire — 2006 · Tor BooksFirst edition, first printing, Tor Books (Tom Doherty Associates), New York, first published November 28, 2006. The copyright page states 'First Edition' followed by month and year and carries the full Tor number line ending in 1 (the 'First Edition' statement plus the complete line are both required). Trade issue in a printed, priced dust jacket over cloth boards. The US Tor trade hardcover (2006) is the true first. A signed limited issue of 100 numbered copies, signed by Card and housed in a plain (unprinted) acetate dust wrapper, was also produced; it is distinguished from the trade hardcover by the numbering, the signature, and the acetate wrapper in place of the printed jacket. Trade paperback and book-club editions exist; a book-club copy lacks the printed jacket price and the complete number line. Require both the stated 'First Edition' and the full line ending in 1 on the trade hardcover.
• Ender in Exile — 2008 · Tor BooksTor Books hardcover. The copyright page states 'First Edition: November 2008' and carries a full number line descending to 1. The first-issue dust jacket bears cover art by John Harris and should retain the printed price on the front flap. A separately issued signed limited edition also exists and is distinct from the trade first. US Tor hardcover, stated 'First Edition: November 2008' (released November 11, 2008), is the true first. A trade first shows the stated 'First Edition: November 2008' line, the full number line ending in 1, and a priced jacket; later printings drop the 1 from the line.

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