# Is "The Scar" by China Miéville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Scar by China Miéville (Macmillan, 2002) is identified by: UK Macmillan hardcover (2002, ISBN 0333781740/9780333781746) is the true first: priced dust jacket, no later-printing statement, publisher's boards. The UK Macmillan 2002 hardcover is the true first, preceding the US Del Rey edition, which appeared as a trade paperback original rather than a hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Macmillan hardcover (2002, ISBN 0333781740/9780333781746) is the true first: priced dust jacket, no later-printing statement, publisher's boards
- The first US edition (Del Rey, 2002) is a trade paperback original with French flaps, and is later
- Locus Award notable
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | China Miéville |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Macmillan hardcover (2002, ISBN 0333781740/9780333781746) is the true first: priced dust jacket, no later-printing statement… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK Macmillan hardcover (2002, ISBN 0333781740/9780333781746) is the true first: priced dust jacket, no later-printing statement, publisher's boards. The first US edition (Del Rey, 2002) is a trade paperback original with French flaps, and is later. Locus Award notable.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Macmillan 2002 hardcover is the true first, preceding the US Del Rey edition, which appeared as a trade paperback original rather than a hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition; the operative point is precedence of the UK hardcover over the later US trade-paperback original.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Scar* by China Miéville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-scar
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.