# Is "New Spring (WoT prequel)" by Robert Jordan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of New Spring (WoT prequel) by Robert Jordan (Tor Books, 2004) is identified by: US Tor hardcover, January 2004, 334 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and a full number line reading 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1). The US Tor edition is the true first of the novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Tor hardcover, January 2004, 334 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and a full number line reading 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1)
- Bound in dark blue paper-covered boards with gilt spine lettering and illustrated map endpapers; first-issue jacket retains its printed price on the front flap
- The novel expands the earlier novella to roughly three times its original length
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Jordan |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Tor hardcover, January 2004, 334 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and a full number line reading 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Tor hardcover, January 2004, 334 pages, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and a full number line reading 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1). Bound in dark blue paper-covered boards with gilt spine lettering and illustrated map endpapers; first-issue jacket retains its printed price on the front flap. The novel expands the earlier novella to roughly three times its original length.

## Is this the true first?
The US Tor edition is the true first of the novel. The original, shorter 'New Spring' novella first appeared in the anthology Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy, edited by Robert Silverberg (Tor, August 1998) — a separate, distinct work rather than a printing of this book.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
SFBC and later Tor printings differ from the first: the SFBC issue lacks a printed jacket price and carries a gutter/blind-stamp code, while later trade printings will not show the complete number line ending in 1. The shorter 1998 novella in the Legends anthology is a separate publication.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *New Spring (WoT prequel)* by Robert Jordan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/new-spring-wot-prequel
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.