# Is "The Three-Body Problem" by Liu Cixin (trans. Ken Liu) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (trans. Ken Liu) (Tor Books, 2014) is identified by: First English-language printing has the number line ending in '1' and 'First Edition' stated; jacket with its printed price. The Tor edition (2014) is the true first ENGLISH-language edition and the first Asian Hugo winner for Best Novel; the genuine world first is the 2008 Chinese-language edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English-language printing has the number line ending in '1' and 'First Edition' stated; jacket with its printed price
- (The true world first is the Chinese-language edition, Chongqing Press, 2008.)
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Liu Cixin (trans. Ken Liu) |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English-language printing has the number line ending in '1' and 'First Edition' stated; jacket with its printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English-language printing has the number line ending in '1' and 'First Edition' stated; jacket with its printed price. (The true world first is the Chinese-language edition, Chongqing Press, 2008.)

## Is this the true first?
The Tor edition (2014) is the true first ENGLISH-language edition and the first Asian Hugo winner for Best Novel; the genuine world first is the 2008 Chinese-language edition. Collectors of the English first want the Tor first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Tor printings have number lines not ending in 1. The Chinese 2008 first is a distinct, separately collected object.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Three-Body Problem* by Liu Cixin (trans. Ken Liu) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-three-body-problem
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.