# Is "Highfire" by Eoin Colfer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Highfire by Eoin Colfer (Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus, 2020) is identified by: UK Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus hardcover (ISBN 9781529402049), 2020, with the first-printing copyright page showing a full number line descending to 1 and no later-printing statement; first-state jacket present with its printed price intact. UK (Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus, ISBN 9781529402049) and US (Harper Perennial) editions were both published January 28, 2020 as simultaneous firsts.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus hardcover (ISBN 9781529402049), 2020, with the first-printing copyright page showing a full number line descending to 1 and no later-printing statement; first-state jacket present with its printed price intact
- Colfer's first adult fantasy
- Publisher imprint reads Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eoin Colfer |
| Publisher | Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | UK Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus hardcover (ISBN 9781529402049), 2020, with the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus hardcover (ISBN 9781529402049), 2020, with the first-printing copyright page showing a full number line descending to 1 and no later-printing statement; first-state jacket present with its printed price intact. Colfer's first adult fantasy.

## Is this the true first?
UK (Jo Fletcher Books / Quercus, ISBN 9781529402049) and US (Harper Perennial) editions were both published January 28, 2020 as simultaneous firsts. As an adult trade title it carries conventional number-line points rather than any children's-book distinction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line so that it no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Highfire* by Eoin Colfer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/highfire
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.