# Is "The Lightning Tree (novella, in Rogues)" by Patrick Rothfuss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lightning Tree (novella, in Rogues) by Patrick Rothfuss (Bantam Spectra, 2014) is identified by: Bast novella; first appeared in the cross-genre anthology Rogues, edited by George R. The first publication of this text is within the Rogues anthology, not a standalone volume — collect the anthology first edition for the true first appearance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bast novella; first appeared in the cross-genre anthology Rogues, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, published in hardcover by Bantam Spectra (Random House) on June 17, 2014
- First printing carries a full number line
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Spectra
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patrick Rothfuss |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bast novella; first appeared in the cross-genre anthology Rogues, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, published in hardcover… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Bast novella; first appeared in the cross-genre anthology Rogues, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, published in hardcover by Bantam Spectra (Random House) on June 17, 2014. First printing carries a full number line.

## Is this the true first?
The first publication of this text is within the Rogues anthology, not a standalone volume — collect the anthology first edition for the true first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No standalone first edition of this original text exists; the 2023 standalone The Narrow Road Between Desires is an expanded, rewritten version and is a different text.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lightning Tree (novella, in Rogues)* by Patrick Rothfuss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lightning-tree-novella-in-rogues
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.