# Is "Bitter Angels" by C. L. Anderson (Sarah Zettel) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bitter Angels by C. L. Anderson (Sarah Zettel) (Bantam Spectra, 2009) is identified by: US Spectra paperback original, 2009 (ISBN 0-553-59217-3), first printing per the number line. The US Spectra paperback original of 2009 is the true first and the award-relevant edition; the Philip K.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Spectra paperback original, 2009 (ISBN 0-553-59217-3), first printing per the number line
- C. L. Anderson is a pseudonym of Sarah Zettel
- By the time this title appeared (August 2009), the Spectra imprint had moved from Bantam Dell to the Ballantine group, so the Spectra/Ballantine attribution is accurate
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C. L. Anderson (Sarah Zettel) |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Spectra paperback original, 2009 (ISBN 0-553-59217-3), first printing per the number line |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Spectra paperback original, 2009 (ISBN 0-553-59217-3), first printing per the number line. C. L. Anderson is a pseudonym of Sarah Zettel. By the time this title appeared (August 2009), the Spectra imprint had moved from Bantam Dell to the Ballantine group, so the Spectra/Ballantine attribution is accurate.

## Is this the true first?
The US Spectra paperback original of 2009 is the true first and the award-relevant edition; the Philip K. Dick Award honors distinguished science fiction issued first as a US paperback original. A Science Fiction Book Club hardcover also exists but is a book-club edition, not the true first. Won the Philip K. Dick Award presented for 2009.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club hardcover is a book-club edition, not the trade first. Later reissues are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bitter Angels* by C. L. Anderson (Sarah Zettel) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bitter-angels
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.