# Is "Barrayar" by Lois McMaster Bujold a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen Books, 1991) is identified by: Mass-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. The US Baen 1991 mass-market paperback original is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Mass-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
- Publisher imprint reads Baen Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lois McMaster Bujold |
| Publisher | Baen Books |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Mass-market paperback original from Baen, ISBN 0-671-72083-4, 389 pages; first printing dated October 1991 with the number line ending in 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Mass-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.

## Is this the true first?
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'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition for the original paperback; later Baen printings advance the number line so it no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Barrayar* by Lois McMaster Bujold a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/barrayar
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.