# Is "The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders 2)" by Robin Hobb a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders 2) by Robin Hobb (Voyager / HarperCollins, 1999) is identified by: UK Voyager (HarperCollins, London) hardcover, March 1999, is the true first; blue boards with gilt spine titling and a complete number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1) on a first printing; ISBN 0002254794. UK Voyager hardcover (March 1999) is the true first; the US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed about a month later (April 1999) with the shortened title Mad Ship.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Voyager (HarperCollins, London) hardcover, March 1999, is the true first; blue boards with gilt spine titling and a complete number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1) on a first printing
- ISBN 0002254794
- Jacket art by John Howe
- The US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed in April 1999 under the shortened title Mad Ship (ISBN 0553103334)
- Publisher imprint reads Voyager / HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robin Hobb |
| Publisher | Voyager / HarperCollins |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Voyager (HarperCollins, London) hardcover, March 1999, is the true first; blue boards with gilt spine titling and a complete number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Voyager (HarperCollins, London) hardcover, March 1999, is the true first; blue boards with gilt spine titling and a complete number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 (ending in 1) on a first printing; ISBN 0002254794. Jacket art by John Howe. The US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed in April 1999 under the shortened title Mad Ship (ISBN 0553103334).

## Is this the true first?
UK Voyager hardcover (March 1999) is the true first; the US Bantam Spectra hardcover followed about a month later (April 1999) with the shortened title Mad Ship.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings lack the full 1-through-10 number line; a first printing shows the complete line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mad Ship (Liveship Traders 2)* by Robin Hobb a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mad-ship-liveship-traders-2
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.