# Is "The Path of Daggers (WoT 8)" by Robert Jordan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Path of Daggers (WoT 8) by Robert Jordan (Tor Books, 1998) is identified by: US Tor hardcover, published October 20, 1998 (Wheel of Time, Book 8). US Tor is the true first; the UK Orbit edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Tor hardcover, published October 20, 1998 (Wheel of Time, Book 8)
- The copyright page carries a stated first edition together with a full number line running down to and including the 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
- The book is bound in navy cloth over boards with red lettering on the spine and runs 604 pages, roughly nine to ten inches tall
- The first-issue dust jacket bears Darrell K. Sweet's color illustration, with the title and author in white, black, and orange on the upper cover and white and orange on the spine, and it should retain its printed cover price
- This was the first Wheel of Time volume to reach number one on the New York Times bestseller list
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Jordan |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Tor hardcover, published October 20, 1998 (Wheel of Time, Book 8) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Tor hardcover, published October 20, 1998 (Wheel of Time, Book 8). The copyright page carries a stated first edition together with a full number line running down to and including the 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The book is bound in navy cloth over boards with red lettering on the spine and runs 604 pages, roughly nine to ten inches tall. The first-issue dust jacket bears Darrell K. Sweet's color illustration, with the title and author in white, black, and orange on the upper cover and white and orange on the spine, and it should retain its printed cover price. This was the first Wheel of Time volume to reach number one on the New York Times bestseller list.

## Is this the true first?
US Tor is the true first; the UK Orbit edition followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Science Fiction Book Club copies are physically smaller, lack the number line, and carry no printed jacket price (a blind stamp or gutter code often appears on the rear board). Later Tor printings drop lower numbers from the line, and the later-printing jacket carries a higher printed price than the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Path of Daggers (WoT 8)* by Robert Jordan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-path-of-daggers-wot-8
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.