# Is "Memory" by Lois McMaster Bujold a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen Books, 1996) is identified by: Baen Books hardcover, October 1996. The US Baen hardcover (October 1996) is the true first edition; there was no prior UK or hardcover printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Baen Books hardcover, October 1996
- The copyright page reads "First Edition: October 1996" and carries a full descending or ascending printer's key with the numeral 1 present; a true first has the 1 in the number line
- The dust jacket is a priced trade jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap and not clipped away on a true trade copy)
- Issued in publisher's boards with a pictorial Baen jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Baen Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lois McMaster Bujold |
| Publisher | Baen Books |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Baen Books hardcover, October 1996 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Baen Books hardcover, October 1996. The copyright page reads "First Edition: October 1996" and carries a full descending or ascending printer's key with the numeral 1 present; a true first has the 1 in the number line. The dust jacket is a priced trade jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap and not clipped away on a true trade copy). Issued in publisher's boards with a pictorial Baen jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US Baen hardcover (October 1996) is the true first edition; there was no prior UK or hardcover printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Science Fiction Book Club (SFBC) edition also exists and is easily confused with the trade first. Tell it apart by the blind-stamped gutter code (a small number/letter pressed into the lower rear board or final gathering), the absence of a printed price on the jacket flap, and typically a slightly smaller trim and lighter bulk than the Baen trade printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Memory* by Lois McMaster Bujold a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/memory
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.