# Is "The Hydrogen Sonata" by Iain M. Banks a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hydrogen Sonata by Iain M. Banks (Orbit, 2012) is identified by: Orbit UK hardcover, published 4 October 2012. UK Orbit hardcover (4 October 2012) is the true first, preceding the near-simultaneous US Orbit edition of 9 October 2012.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Orbit UK hardcover, published 4 October 2012
- Copyright page states first publication in Great Britain in 2012 by Orbit, with the first-impression number line including 1
- Priced dust jacket
- Final Culture novel
- Publisher imprint reads Orbit
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iain M. Banks |
| Publisher | Orbit |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Orbit UK hardcover, published 4 October 2012 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Orbit UK hardcover, published 4 October 2012. Copyright page states first publication in Great Britain in 2012 by Orbit, with the first-impression number line including 1. Priced dust jacket. Final Culture novel.

## Is this the true first?
UK Orbit hardcover (4 October 2012) is the true first, preceding the near-simultaneous US Orbit edition of 9 October 2012.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hydrogen Sonata* by Iain M. Banks a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hydrogen-sonata
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.