# Is "The Stone Sky" by N. K. Jemisin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Stone Sky by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit, 2017) is identified by: First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 15, 2017), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price. True first is the Orbit trade paperback original (2017); no hardcover first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 15, 2017), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price
- Like its predecessors, the first edition is a trade paperback
- Won the 2017 Nebula and the 2018 Hugo (Jemisin's third consecutive Hugo for Best Novel); third volume of the Broken Earth Trilogy
- Publisher imprint reads Orbit
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | N. K. Jemisin |
| Publisher | Orbit |
| Year | 2017 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 15, 2017), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition is the Orbit trade paperback original (US, August 15, 2017), in wraps, first printing identified by a full number line ending in 1, with the original printed cover price. Like its predecessors, the first edition is a trade paperback. Won the 2017 Nebula and the 2018 Hugo (Jemisin's third consecutive Hugo for Best Novel); third volume of the Broken Earth Trilogy.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Orbit trade paperback original (2017); no hardcover first. Subterranean Press later issued signed/limited hardcovers of the trilogy as separate prized states.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The trap is expecting a hardcover. Confirm the trade paperback first printing by the full number line ending in 1. (The Fifth Season and The Obelisk Gate are likewise paperback-original firsts.)

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Stone Sky* by N. K. Jemisin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-stone-sky
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.