# Is "The Fifth Season" by N. K. Jemisin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit, 2015) is identified by: First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 4, 2015), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price. True first is the Orbit trade paperback original (2015); no simultaneous hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 4, 2015), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price
- The first edition is a trade paperback, not a hardcover
- Won the 2016 Hugo for Best Novel; first volume of the Broken Earth Trilogy
- Publisher imprint reads Orbit
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | N. K. Jemisin |
| Publisher | Orbit |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 4, 2015), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 4, 2015), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price. The first edition is a trade paperback, not a hardcover. Won the 2016 Hugo for Best Novel; first volume of the Broken Earth Trilogy.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Orbit trade paperback original (2015); no simultaneous hardcover. Subterranean Press later issued a signed/limited hardcover, a separate state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The trap is expecting a hardcover. Confirm the trade paperback first printing by the full number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fifth Season* by N. K. Jemisin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fifth-season
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.