# Is "Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1)" by Steven Erikson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1) by Steven Erikson (Bantam Press, 1999) is identified by: Erikson's first Malazan novel. UK Bantam Press 1999 is the true first (published in Britain and Canada); the US Tor edition did not appear until December 2004.

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

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Steven Erikson |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Erikson's first Malazan novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen 1)* by Steven Erikson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gardens-of-the-moon-malazan-book-of-the-fallen-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.