# Is "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Ballantine Books, 2021) is identified by: The US first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a complete number line reading down to 1 (ISBN 9780593135204, on-sale May 4, 2021) — the stated 'First Edition' plus the terminal 1 is the reliable anchor. Correction to the census note: the US Ballantine and UK Del Rey (Penguin Random House UK) editions shared a simultaneous global on-sale date of May 4, 2021 — neither strictly precedes the other, and both are collected as first editions.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a complete number line reading down to 1 (ISBN 9780593135204, on-sale May 4, 2021) — the stated 'First Edition' plus the terminal 1 is the reliable anchor
- Signed slipcased limited issues (numbered, with certificate) and retailer sprayed-edge variants are separate collectible states, not the trade first
- Later printings remove the 'First Edition' statement and the terminal 1 of the number line
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Andy Weir |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a complete number line reading down to 1 (ISBN 9780593135204… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The US first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a complete number line reading down to 1 (ISBN 9780593135204, on-sale May 4, 2021) — the stated 'First Edition' plus the terminal 1 is the reliable anchor. Signed slipcased limited issues (numbered, with certificate) and retailer sprayed-edge variants are separate collectible states, not the trade first. Later printings remove the 'First Edition' statement and the terminal 1 of the number line.

## Is this the true first?
Correction to the census note: the US Ballantine and UK Del Rey (Penguin Random House UK) editions shared a simultaneous global on-sale date of May 4, 2021 — neither strictly precedes the other, and both are collected as first editions. The US Ballantine hardcover is the customary 'home' first for a US author, with the UK Del Rey first equally legitimate.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is a notable trap for this title; the dependable tell against any club or later-printing copy is the presence of 'First Edition' plus the full number line running to 1 on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Project Hail Mary* by Andy Weir a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/project-hail-mary
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.