# Is "City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)" by Cassandra Clare a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry Books / Simon & Schuster, 2007) is identified by: The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page and carries the Simon & Schuster even-then-odd printer's key 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 — the key must run down to and include 1. US Margaret K.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page and carries the Simon & Schuster even-then-odd printer's key 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 — the key must run down to and include 1
- Two independent dealers quote that exact key alongside the stated "First Edition"; the key, not the statement, settles the printing, and copies showing a truncated key are later printings
- Bound in black boards with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo, 485 pages, in a pictorial dust jacket with the price present at the flap (unclipped expected)
- Light sunning/toning to the top page edges is commonly reported even on fine copies
- Publisher imprint reads Margaret K. McElderry Books / Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Cassandra Clare |
| Publisher | Margaret K. McElderry Books / Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page and carries the Simon & Schuster even-then-odd printer's key 2 4 6 8 10 9 7… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page and carries the Simon & Schuster even-then-odd printer's key 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 — the key must run down to and include 1. Two independent dealers quote that exact key alongside the stated "First Edition"; the key, not the statement, settles the printing, and copies showing a truncated key are later printings. Bound in black boards with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo, 485 pages, in a pictorial dust jacket with the price present at the flap (unclipped expected). Light sunning/toning to the top page edges is commonly reported even on fine copies.

## Is this the true first?
US Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster), New York, published 27 March 2007 — the true first. The UK issue from Walker Books (ISBN 9781406307627) followed and is a UK first, not the true first. Title-collision trap: Michael Connelly's City of Bones (Little, Brown, 2002) is an entirely unrelated novel and is frequently mis-catalogued against this record. Later McElderry printings are still dated 2007 on the title page and are often offered as "the printed pricet Edition" — check the printer's key.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. The reprint tells are later McElderry printings carrying a truncated printer's key (still dated 2007), the UK Walker Books issue, and post-2013 film-era reissues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1)* by Cassandra Clare a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/city-of-bones-the-mortal-instruments-1
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.