Is My Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Erikson's first Malazan novel
• UK Bantam Press hardcover, 1999; black boards with gilt spine titles, dust jacket; copyright page number line including 1
• The hardcover print run was very small and it was issued alongside a simultaneous trade paperback — the hardcover is the key Malazan collectible

How Bantam Press marked a first edition

• Bantam used a code on the copyright page indicating printing and date in some eras; in the modern era a descending number line ending in '1' marks the first printing.
• Mass-market originals: the paperback is the first edition; reprints of hardcovers are firsts-thus only.

Full Bantam Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK Bantam Press 1999 is the true first (published in Britain and Canada); the US Tor edition did not appear until December 2004. The UK hardcover first is scarce and heavily sought after.P-029998

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The simultaneous 1999 UK trade paperback, the 2000 mass-market paperback, the US Tor editions (2004 onward), the Subterranean Press limited edition (2008), and book-club copies are all distinct from the UK hardcover first.P-029999

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1) a first edition?

A first edition of Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1) by Steven Erikson (Bantam Press) is identified by: Erikson's first Malazan novel.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). UK Bantam Press 1999 is the true first (published in Britain and Canada); the US Tor edition did not appear until December 2004.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The simultaneous 1999 UK trade paperback, the 2000 mass-market paperback, the US Tor editions (2004 onward), the Subterranean Press limited edition (2008), and book-club copies are all distinct from the UK hardcover first.

I have a first edition of Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.