# Is "Iron Flame" by Rebecca Yarros a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower Books / Entangled Publishing, 2023) is identified by: The US first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition November 2023' above a complete number line running to 1 — that statement, not the edge treatment, is the reliable first-printing determinant. The originating true first is the US Red Tower Books edition, released November 7, 2023; the UK Piatkus (Little, Brown) edition appeared the same day and is collected in parallel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition November 2023' above a complete number line running to 1 — that statement, not the edge treatment, is the reliable first-printing determinant
- The standard US retail hardcover was issued with solid black stencil-sprayed page edges and illustrated/mapped endpapers, but sprayed edges are NOT a first-only point: retailer-exclusive variants (Barnes & Noble, indie/Bookshop, Target, and the UK Piatkus) carried different edge colours and art, so edges alone cannot establish priority
- First printings are also widely reported to carry production errors (mis-paginations and binding faults) — a known first-run phenomenon rather than a deliberate issue point
- Publisher imprint reads Red Tower Books / Entangled Publishing
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rebecca Yarros |
| Publisher | Red Tower Books / Entangled Publishing |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition November 2023' above a complete number line running to 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The US first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition November 2023' above a complete number line running to 1 — that statement, not the edge treatment, is the reliable first-printing determinant. The standard US retail hardcover was issued with solid black stencil-sprayed page edges and illustrated/mapped endpapers, but sprayed edges are NOT a first-only point: retailer-exclusive variants (Barnes & Noble, indie/Bookshop, Target, and the UK Piatkus) carried different edge colours and art, so edges alone cannot establish priority. First printings are also widely reported to carry production errors (mis-paginations and binding faults) — a known first-run phenomenon rather than a deliberate issue point.

## Is this the true first?
The originating true first is the US Red Tower Books edition, released November 7, 2023; the UK Piatkus (Little, Brown) edition appeared the same day and is collected in parallel. Correcting the census note: US and UK are effectively simultaneous, and the distinguishing evidence is the 'First Edition November 2023' statement plus number line — not 'sprayed/patterned edges,' which recur across variants and later stock.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is a factor for this recent title; the real trap is conflating the many retailer-exclusive sprayed-edge and signed variants with the trade first — the copyright-page 'First Edition November 2023' statement and full number line settle it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Iron Flame* by Rebecca Yarros a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/iron-flame
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.