# Is "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars" by Christopher Paolini a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini (Tor Books / Macmillan, 2020) is identified by: First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Tor Books 2020, with the first-state price present on the unclipped jacket flap. US Tor Books hardcover is the true first (September 15, 2020).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Tor Books 2020, with the first-state price present on the unclipped jacket flap
- Paolini's adult science-fiction debut
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books / Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Paolini |
| Publisher | Tor Books / Macmillan |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Tor Books… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing has the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, Tor Books 2020, with the first-state price present on the unclipped jacket flap. Paolini's adult science-fiction debut.

## Is this the true first?
US Tor Books hardcover is the true first (September 15, 2020). Note the publisher change from Knopf to Tor for his science fiction; a UK Tor/Macmillan edition also appeared in 2020. A signed limited issue of roughly 750 copies exists.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line so it no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *To Sleep in a Sea of Stars* by Christopher Paolini a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/to-sleep-in-a-sea-of-stars
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.