Robin Hobb First Editions

• Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy 1) — 1995 · Bantam SpectraFirst novel under the Robin Hobb pen name (Hobb is Megan Lindholm). US Bantam Spectra trade paperback original, May 1995, with number line running to 1. The UK hardcover from HarperCollins' newly launched Voyager imprint followed about three months later, in 1995. The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (May 1995) is the true first; the UK Voyager hardcover (August 1995) is the first hardcover but not the first edition. A paperback original preceding any hardcover is an unusual and frequently misunderstood point on this title. The UK Voyager hardcover, though desirable as the first hardcover, postdates the US paperback by roughly three months. Later printings and the many reissue and anniversary editions are distinct.
• Royal Assassin (Farseer 2) — 1996 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager hardcover, London, published 21 March 1996, is the first edition; first printings state first publication by Voyager 1996 on the copyright page with a printing line ending in 1, and the jacket should be unclipped. The US Bantam Spectra paperback followed in April 1996. UK Voyager hardcover is the true first; it preceded the US Bantam Spectra paperback by several weeks. US book club hardcover editions exist; they lack a jacket price and printing line and are not first editions.
• Assassin's Quest (Farseer 3) — 1997 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager hardcover, London, published 3 March 1997, is the first edition; first printings state first publication by Voyager 1997 on the copyright page with a printing line ending in 1. The US Bantam Spectra paperback followed in April 1997. UK Voyager hardcover is the true first; the US Bantam Spectra paperback followed about a month later. US book club hardcover editions exist; they lack a jacket price and printing line and are not first editions.
• Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders 1) — 1998 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager hardcover, March 1998, with John Howe jacket art and number line ending in 1. US Bantam Spectra hardcover published 2 March 1998 with Stephen Youll jacket art. Publication was essentially simultaneous. UK and US hardcovers appeared essentially simultaneously in March 1998. Collectors generally treat the UK Voyager hardcover as the preferred true first, but the US Bantam Spectra hardcover is a legitimate first edition of the US issue. Book club hardcover editions exist; they lack a jacket price and printing line and are not first editions.
• The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders 2) — 1999 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager (HarperCollins, London) hardcover, March 1999, is the true first; blue boards with gilt spine titling and a complete number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1) on a first printing; ISBN 0002254794. Jacket art by John Howe. The US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed in April 1999 under the shortened title Mad Ship (ISBN 0553103334). UK Voyager hardcover (March 1999) is the true first; the US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed about a month later (April 1999) with the shortened title Mad Ship. Later printings lack the full 1-through-10 number line; a first printing shows the complete line ending in 1.
• Ship of Destiny (Liveship Traders 3) — 2000 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager / HarperCollins hardcover, London, March 2000, with the cover art illustrated by John Howe. First printing carries the odd-then-even number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 (including the 1) on the copyright page. The US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed in August 2000. UK Voyager hardcover is the true first (March 2000); the US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed in August 2000. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; a first printing shows the complete line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2.
• Fool's Errand (The Tawny Man 1) — 2001 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover, published 15 October 2001, 592 pages, ISBN 0-00-224726-9. The first impression carries a complete descending number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page and the John Howe jacket art depicting FitzChivalry Farseer and the Fool. The US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed on 29 January 2002. The UK Voyager hardcover is the true first; the US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed in January 2002. Later printings drop the leading 1 from the number line; a true first impression shows the full line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 with the John Howe jacket.
• The Golden Fool (Tawny Man 2) — 2002 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager hardcover 2002; number line to 1. The earliest UK printing was recalled: it has chapter sixteen titled Explosions, 599 pages, and ISBN 0002247275; the corrected issue titles that chapter Fathers, runs 632 pages, and carries ISBN 0007160380. US edition from Bantam Spectra, January 2003. UK Voyager hardcover is the true first; the scarce recalled issue with the Explosions chapter heading is the first issue. Later printings differ.
• Fool's Fate (Tawny Man 3) — 2003 · Voyager / HarperCollinsTrue first is the UK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover, London 2003, with the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The first-state dust jacket bears the cover art by John Howe, and the printed UK cover price should be present and unclipped on the front flap. Concludes the Tawny Man trilogy; the US Bantam edition followed in 2004. The UK Voyager hardcover is the true first, preceding the 2004 US Bantam Spectra edition. Confirm the Voyager copyright-page number line runs down to 1 and the John Howe jacket price is unclipped. Later Voyager printings show a truncated number line that no longer reaches 1; the US Bantam edition is a separate, later setting and not the true first.
• Shaman's Crossing (The Soldier Son Trilogy 1) — 2005 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover, published 4 July 2005, ISBN 0007196121; first printing carries the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Book One of the Soldier Son Trilogy. A separate Voyager signed-and-numbered limited edition was issued simultaneously with black boards, no cover art, and a slipcase (ISBN 0007214685) — distinct from the trade first. US Eos/HarperCollins hardcover (ISBN…. UK Voyager hardcover true first, 4 July 2005; it preceded the US Eos edition by about two months. Later printings state a higher lowest digit on the number line; distinguish the trade first from the slipcased signed/numbered limited (black boards, no jacket art).
• Forest Mage (Soldier Son 2) — 2006 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover, published 3 July 2006, ISBN 0007196156, with a full number line descending to 1 and the priced Voyager jacket present on a first-state copy. The US Eos (HarperCollins) hardcover followed on 1 September 2006 (ISBN 0060757639) with a different jacket carrying cover art by Christophe Vacher. UK Voyager hardcover of 3 July 2006 is the true first, preceding the US Eos edition by about two months. Later printings are distinguished by a shortened number line; the US Eos edition is a separate later first-appearance-in-the-US, not the true first.
• Renegade's Magic (Soldier Son 3) — 2007 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover, 2007, ISBN 9780007196180, with cover art by John Howe. A true first printing carries the odd-then-even number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2. US Eos hardcover followed in January 2008. UK Voyager hardcover is the true first; the US Eos edition did not appear until 2008. Later printings differ; confirm the first by the complete number line ending in 1 and the John Howe jacket art.
• Dragon Keeper (The Rain Wild Chronicles 1) — 2009 · Voyager / HarperCollinsThe true first is the UK HarperCollins/Voyager hardcover of 2009, bound in blue boards with gilt titling to the spine and issued in a dust jacket with cover art by Jackie Morris. A true first printing shows a complete descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The jacket should be unclipped with the printed price intact; no remainder marks on a true first. UK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover, 2009, is the true first edition, preceding the US Eos/Harper Voyager hardcover of 2010; identify it by the full number line to 1, the blue boards with gilt spine titling, and the Jackie Morris jacket art. Later printings are distinguished by a number line that no longer reaches 1. The US edition (2010) is a separate later first for its market, not the global precedent.
• Dragon Haven (Rain Wild Chronicles 2) — 2010 · Voyager / HarperCollinsUK Voyager (HarperCollins) hardcover published March 2010 is the true first. Copyright page states first publication by Voyager 2010 and carries a number line that includes the 1. The US HarperCollins hardcover did not follow until May 2010. UK Voyager hardcover (March 2010) is the true first; the US edition followed about two months later. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; check the full number line rather than the jacket.
• City of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles 3) — 2012 · Harper VoyagerUnusually for Hobb, the US Harper Voyager hardcover, published February 2012, precedes the UK Voyager hardcover of March 2012. First printings carry a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The US Harper Voyager hardcover (February 2012) is the first English-language edition, preceding the UK Voyager hardcover (March 2012). A Dutch translation appeared in 2011, before any English edition. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; check the full number line rather than the jacket.
• Blood of Dragons (Rain Wild Chronicles 4) — 2013 · Voyager / HarperCollinsThe UK HarperCollins/Voyager hardcover (14 March 2013) is the true first, with a copyright-page number line that includes the 1; the dust jacket carries cover art by Jackie Morris (the UK issue in blue) and should retain the printed flap price. The US Harper Voyager hardcover followed on 9 April 2013 with a green Jackie Morris jacket and a copyright-page number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. UK Voyager hardcover (14 March 2013) precedes the US Harper Voyager hardcover (9 April 2013); both use cover art by Jackie Morris, the UK jacket in blue and the US jacket in green. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; verify the full number line rather than relying on the jacket, since the UK and US issues share the Morris artwork.
• Fool's Assassin (The Fitz and the Fool Trilogy 1) — 2014 · Del ReyUS Del Rey (ISBN 9780553392425) and UK HarperVoyager hardcovers were released simultaneously on 12 August 2014. The Del Rey first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page and is stated 'First Edition'; it is issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain the printed price on the flap unless clipped. Genuinely simultaneous US and UK publication on 12 August 2014; the two hardcovers are treated as co-firsts with neither having precedence. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; check the full number line on the copyright page rather than the jacket.
• Fool's Quest (Fitz and the Fool 2) — 2015 · Del ReyUS Del Rey hardcover published 11 August 2015; UK HarperVoyager hardcover followed on 13 August 2015. ISBN 9780553392920. The Del Rey first printing has beige/tan boards and a pictorial dust jacket with cover art by Alejandro Colucci, and carries 'First Edition' with a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The original jacket bears the printed price on the front flap. Effectively simultaneous, but the US Del Rey hardcover (11 August 2015) preceded the UK HarperVoyager hardcover (13 August 2015) by two days; both are collected as firsts, with technical precedence to the US Del Rey printing. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; check the full number line on the copyright page rather than the jacket.
• Assassin's Fate (Fitz and the Fool 3) — 2017 · HarperVoyagerUK HarperVoyager hardcover (ISBN 978-0-00-744425-0) published 4 May 2017; the US Del Rey hardcover (ISBN 978-0-553-39295-1) followed on 9 May 2017. First printings of both carry a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in priced dust jackets. The UK HarperVoyager hardcover (4 May 2017) preceded the US Del Rey hardcover (9 May 2017) by five days, giving the UK edition technical precedence; both are collected as firsts. A signed, numbered UK limited edition of 150 copies (Goldsboro) was also issued. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; check the full number line rather than the jacket.

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