# Is "The Calculating Stars" by Mary Robinette Kowal a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books, 2018) is identified by: First edition is the Tor trade paperback original (US, July 3, 2018), in wraps, first printing identified by a number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price. True first is the Tor trade paperback original (2018); no hardcover first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Tor trade paperback original (US, July 3, 2018), in wraps, first printing identified by a number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price
- The first edition is a trade paperback, not a hardcover
- Won the 2018 Nebula, 2019 Hugo, and 2019 Locus for Best Novel; first Lady Astronaut novel
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Robinette Kowal |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Tor trade paperback original (US, July 3, 2018), in wraps, first printing identified by a number line ending in 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Tor trade paperback original (US, July 3, 2018), in wraps, first printing identified by a number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price. The first edition is a trade paperback, not a hardcover. Won the 2018 Nebula, 2019 Hugo, and 2019 Locus for Best Novel; first Lady Astronaut novel.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Tor trade paperback original (2018); no hardcover first. Confirm the trade paperback first printing by its number line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The trap is expecting a hardcover; the trade paperback first printing is the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Calculating Stars* by Mary Robinette Kowal a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-calculating-stars
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.