# Is "Iron Council" by China Miéville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Iron Council by China Miéville (Macmillan, 2004) is identified by: UK Macmillan hardcover, 2004, bound in quarter red paper over black paper boards with silver lettering to the spine, in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap. The UK Macmillan hardcover of 2004 is the true first and precedes or parallels the US Del Rey (Ballantine) hardcover of 2004, whose jacket is credited to David Stevenson and Carl D.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Macmillan hardcover, 2004, bound in quarter red paper over black paper boards with silver lettering to the spine, in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap
- A signed, slipcased Macmillan limited edition of 1,000 copies was also issued in 2004
- Third Bas-Lag / New Crobuzon novel; winner of the 2004 BSFA Award and the 2005 Arthur C. Clarke Award
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | China Miéville |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Macmillan hardcover, 2004, bound in quarter red paper over black paper boards with silver lettering to the spine, in a pictorial dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Macmillan hardcover, 2004, bound in quarter red paper over black paper boards with silver lettering to the spine, in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap. A signed, slipcased Macmillan limited edition of 1,000 copies was also issued in 2004. Third Bas-Lag / New Crobuzon novel; winner of the 2004 BSFA Award and the 2005 Arthur C. Clarke Award.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Macmillan hardcover of 2004 is the true first and precedes or parallels the US Del Rey (Ballantine) hardcover of 2004, whose jacket is credited to David Stevenson and Carl D. Galian. Signed copies are relatively common.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US Del Rey hardcover is the first US edition, not the true first; later printings of either issue are reprints and lack the 2004 first-state points.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Iron Council* by China Miéville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/iron-council
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.