# Is "The Shadow Rising (WoT 4)" by Robert Jordan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Shadow Rising (WoT 4) by Robert Jordan (Tor Books, 1992) is identified by: US Tor hardcover, 1992. US Tor is the true first; the UK Orbit edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Tor hardcover, 1992
- Copyright page reads 'First trade edition: November 1992' with a full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
- Bound in blue paper boards with copper spine lettering; the embossed pictorial dust jacket carries art by Darrell K. Sweet (jacket design by Carol Russo) and the book has color pictorial endpaper maps
- The unclipped first-issue jacket retains its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Jordan |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Tor hardcover, 1992 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Tor hardcover, 1992. Copyright page reads 'First trade edition: November 1992' with a full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Bound in blue paper boards with copper spine lettering; the embossed pictorial dust jacket carries art by Darrell K. Sweet (jacket design by Carol Russo) and the book has color pictorial endpaper maps. The unclipped first-issue jacket retains its printed price.

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

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
SFBC book-club copies are smaller, lack the number line, and have no printed jacket price; later Tor printings drop numbers from the line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Shadow Rising (WoT 4)* by Robert Jordan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-shadow-rising-wot-4
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.