# Is "The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicle 2)" by Patrick Rothfuss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicle 2) by Patrick Rothfuss (DAW Books, 2011) is identified by: US DAW hardcover, published March 1, 2011. US DAW is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition appeared at essentially the same time but the US edition is the collected state.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US DAW hardcover, published March 1, 2011
- First printings exist in two states: copies with a complete number line running to 1, and copies with no number line at all — a printing error that occurred only on the first printing, confirmed by the author
- A copy with no number line is therefore a first printing, not a later one
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patrick Rothfuss |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US DAW hardcover, published March 1, 2011 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US DAW hardcover, published March 1, 2011. First printings exist in two states: copies with a complete number line running to 1, and copies with no number line at all — a printing error that occurred only on the first printing, confirmed by the author. A copy with no number line is therefore a first printing, not a later one.

## Is this the true first?
US DAW is the true first; the UK Gollancz edition appeared at essentially the same time but the US edition is the collected state. The book went through several printings within its first week, so genuine first printings are a small fraction of early copies.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry a number line that does not reach 1. The Subterranean Press signed limited is a separate later edition. Do not assume a missing number line means a later or book-club copy on this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicle 2)* by Patrick Rothfuss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-wise-mans-fear-kingkiller-chronicle-2
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.