# Is "Road Out of Winter" by Alison Stine a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Road Out of Winter by Alison Stine (Mira Books, 2020) is identified by: Mira Books (Harlequin / HarperCollins) trade paperback original, September 2020; first printing, carrying the edition statement for the original printing on the copyright page. The US Mira 2020 trade paperback original is the true first edition; it is a paperback original with no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Mira Books (Harlequin / HarperCollins) trade paperback original, September 2020; first printing, carrying the edition statement for the original printing on the copyright page
- As a paperback original there is no number-line-bearing hardcover state to compare; look for the first printing with no later-printing statement
- First-issue covers carry the front-cover comparison line positioning the book alongside The Road and Station Eleven, and back-cover praise drawn from the original 2020 reviews (Publishers Weekly, Library Journal starred review, and Ms
- Magazine)
- Publisher imprint reads Mira Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alison Stine |
| Publisher | Mira Books |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Mira Books (Harlequin / HarperCollins) trade paperback original, September 2020; first printing, carrying the edition statement for the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Mira Books (Harlequin / HarperCollins) trade paperback original, September 2020; first printing, carrying the edition statement for the original printing on the copyright page. As a paperback original there is no number-line-bearing hardcover state to compare; look for the first printing with no later-printing statement. First-issue covers carry the front-cover comparison line positioning the book alongside The Road and Station Eleven, and back-cover praise drawn from the original 2020 reviews (Publishers Weekly, Library Journal starred review, and Ms. Magazine).

## Is this the true first?
The US Mira 2020 trade paperback original is the true first edition; it is a paperback original with no preceding hardcover. It won the 2021 Philip K. Dick Award, which is given specifically to distinguished science-fiction paperback originals, confirming the format status of the first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reissues are reprints, not the first edition; a first printing shows no added later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Road Out of Winter* by Alison Stine a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/road-out-of-winter
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.