# Is "Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Project 1)" by Brandon Sanderson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Project 1) by Brandon Sanderson (Dragonsteel / Tor, 2023) is identified by: True first is the Dragonsteel premium hardcover from the 2022 Year of Sanderson Kickstarter, shipped to backers beginning January 2023 with a January 10, 2023 release; it is a foil-stamped illustrated hardcover (illustrations by Howard Lyon), not a leatherbound. Dragonsteel premium hardcover precedes the Tor trade edition; note both.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Dragonsteel premium hardcover from the 2022 Year of Sanderson Kickstarter, shipped to backers beginning January 2023 with a January 10, 2023 release; it is a foil-stamped illustrated hardcover (illustrations by Howard Lyon), not a leatherbound
- The Tor trade hardcover followed April 4, 2023, stating First Edition on the copyright page with a number line down to 1
- Publisher imprint reads Dragonsteel / Tor
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Brandon Sanderson |
| Publisher | Dragonsteel / Tor |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the Dragonsteel premium hardcover from the 2022 Year of Sanderson Kickstarter, shipped to backers beginning January 2023 with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is the Dragonsteel premium hardcover from the 2022 Year of Sanderson Kickstarter, shipped to backers beginning January 2023 with a January 10, 2023 release; it is a foil-stamped illustrated hardcover (illustrations by Howard Lyon), not a leatherbound. The Tor trade hardcover followed April 4, 2023, stating First Edition on the copyright page with a number line down to 1.

## Is this the true first?
Dragonsteel premium hardcover precedes the Tor trade edition; note both. The Tor trade hardcover is the widely available first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Two distinct editions: the Dragonsteel premium hardcover (Kickstarter and Dragonsteel direct sales) and the Tor trade hardcover; do not confuse the premium edition with a leatherbound, which Dragonsteel reserves for other titles.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Tress of the Emerald Sea (Secret Project 1)* by Brandon Sanderson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/tress-of-the-emerald-sea-secret-project-1
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.