# Is "The Years of Rice and Salt" by Kim Stanley Robinson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson (Bantam Books, New York, 2002) is identified by: First US edition (Bantam Books, March 2002; ISBN 0553109200). The US Bantam and UK HarperCollins editions are near-simultaneous (both 2002); for the US trade first, rely on the number line complete to 1 and the 'March 2002' date line.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition (Bantam Books, March 2002
- ISBN 0553109200)
- The true first printing is identified by a complete number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, typically prefixed 'BVG') together with the 'A Bantam Book / March 2002' line on the copyright page
- The jacket carries the printed price
- The number line to 1 is the point of issue — there is no printed 'First Edition' statement
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kim Stanley Robinson |
| Publisher | Bantam Books, New York |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition (Bantam Books, March 2002 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition (Bantam Books, March 2002; ISBN 0553109200). The true first printing is identified by a complete number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, typically prefixed 'BVG') together with the 'A Bantam Book / March 2002' line on the copyright page. The jacket carries the printed price. The number line to 1 is the point of issue — there is no printed 'First Edition' statement.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam and UK HarperCollins editions are near-simultaneous (both 2002); for the US trade first, rely on the number line complete to 1 and the 'March 2002' date line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club edition is smaller in trim, unpriced ('Book Club Edition'), carries a rear-board gutter dot, and omits the full number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Years of Rice and Salt* by Kim Stanley Robinson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-years-of-rice-and-salt
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.