# Is "Shadow Captain" by Alastair Reynolds a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds (Gollancz, 2019) is identified by: Gollancz (London) first edition hardcover in octavo boards, the copyright page reading 'First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Gollancz' with the number line descending to 1. The UK Gollancz hardcover, published 10 January 2019, is the true first edition and the first hardcover; the US Orbit trade paperback followed on 15 January 2019, a few days later and in a lesser binding, so the Gollancz hardcover holds precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gollancz (London) first edition hardcover in octavo boards, the copyright page reading 'First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Gollancz' with the number line descending to 1
- Priced dust jacket present (the printed jacket price should be intact)
- Second book of the Revenger trilogy, between Revenger and Bone Silence
- Publisher imprint reads Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alastair Reynolds |
| Publisher | Gollancz |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gollancz (London) first edition hardcover in octavo boards, the copyright page reading 'First published in Great Britain in 2019 by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Gollancz (London) first edition hardcover in octavo boards, the copyright page reading 'First published in Great Britain in 2019 by Gollancz' with the number line descending to 1. Priced dust jacket present (the printed jacket price should be intact). Second book of the Revenger trilogy, between Revenger and Bone Silence.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Gollancz hardcover, published 10 January 2019, is the true first edition and the first hardcover; the US Orbit trade paperback followed on 15 January 2019, a few days later and in a lesser binding, so the Gollancz hardcover holds precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shadow Captain* by Alastair Reynolds a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shadow-captain
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.