# Is "Shards of Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen Books, 1986) is identified by: Baen mass-market paperback original, June 1986; copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, June 1986) with no later printings listed; cover art by Alan Gutierrez. The US Baen paperback original (June 1986) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover in any country.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Baen mass-market paperback original, June 1986; copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, June 1986) with no later printings listed; cover art by Alan Gutierrez
- Bujold's debut novel and the opening of the Vorkosigan saga
- Publisher imprint reads Baen Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lois McMaster Bujold |
| Publisher | Baen Books |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Baen mass-market paperback original, June 1986; copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, June 1986) with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Baen mass-market paperback original, June 1986; copyright page carries Baen's stated first-printing line (First printing, June 1986) with no later printings listed; cover art by Alan Gutierrez. Bujold's debut novel and the opening of the Vorkosigan saga.

## Is this the true first?
The US Baen paperback original (June 1986) is the true first; there is no earlier hardcover in any country.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The first hardcover appearance was the book club omnibus Test of Honor (Nelson Doubleday/SFBC, 1987), which pairs it with The Warrior's Apprentice; the Baen omnibus Cordelia's Honor (1996) and later NESFA Press hardcovers are also not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shards of Honor* by Lois McMaster Bujold a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shards-of-honor
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.