# Is "Magic Street" by Orson Scott Card a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Magic Street by Orson Scott Card (Del Rey/Ballantine, 2005) is identified by: First edition, first printing is the Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (New York, June 2005), identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1 (the standard Del Rey/Ballantine full descending line, 10 through 1). The US Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (2005) is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing is the Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (New York, June 2005), identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1 (the standard Del Rey/Ballantine full descending line, 10 through 1)
- The jacket should carry its printed price on the front flap; the presence of a price and the intact number line together confirm the first state
- Publisher imprint reads Del Rey/Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Orson Scott Card |
| Publisher | Del Rey/Ballantine |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing is the Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (New York, June 2005), identified by 'First Edition' stated on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing is the Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (New York, June 2005), identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line whose lowest digit is 1 (the standard Del Rey/Ballantine full descending line, 10 through 1). The jacket should carry its printed price on the front flap; the presence of a price and the intact number line together confirm the first state.

## Is this the true first?
The US Del Rey/Ballantine hardcover (2005) is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A trade issue only. Del Rey/Ballantine book-club printings of this period are distinguished from the trade first by the absence of the number line and, typically, a jacket lacking the printed price; a copy missing the descending number line is not the trade first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Magic Street* by Orson Scott Card a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/magic-street
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.