# Is "Murtagh" by Christopher Paolini a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Murtagh by Christopher Paolini (Alfred A. Knopf / Random House, 2023) is identified by: First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Knopf 2023, with the first-state price present on the unclipped jacket flap. US Knopf hardcover is the true first (November 7, 2023); sometimes cataloged as Inheritance Cycle 5.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Knopf 2023, with the first-state price present on the unclipped jacket flap
- Return to the World of Eragon
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf / Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Paolini |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf / Random House |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Knopf 2023… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Knopf 2023, with the first-state price present on the unclipped jacket flap. Return to the World of Eragon.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf hardcover is the true first (November 7, 2023); sometimes cataloged as Inheritance Cycle 5. A UK Penguin edition followed in the British market.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line so it no longer ends in 1; Barnes & Noble and other retailer-exclusive editions are separate later states.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Murtagh* by Christopher Paolini a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/murtagh
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.