# Is "Visionary in Residence" by Bruce Sterling a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Visionary in Residence by Bruce Sterling (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006) is identified by: Story collection of thirteen stories, 294 pp.; Thunder's Mouth Press trade paperback original with no hardcover edition, first printing indicated on the copyright page. US Thunder's Mouth Press trade paperback original; there is no hardcover first, so the paperback is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Story collection of thirteen stories, 294 pp.; Thunder's Mouth Press trade paperback original with no hardcover edition, first printing indicated on the copyright page
- ISBN 1-56025-841-1, published 8 February 2006
- Notable as the first appearance of 'Message Found in a Bottle' (written for Nature); the balance had appeared previously in periodicals and anthologies
- Publisher imprint reads Thunder's Mouth Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bruce Sterling |
| Publisher | Thunder's Mouth Press |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Story collection of thirteen stories, 294 pp.; Thunder's Mouth Press trade paperback original with no hardcover edition, first printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Story collection of thirteen stories, 294 pp.; Thunder's Mouth Press trade paperback original with no hardcover edition, first printing indicated on the copyright page. ISBN 1-56025-841-1, published 8 February 2006. Notable as the first appearance of 'Message Found in a Bottle' (written for Nature); the balance had appeared previously in periodicals and anthologies.

## Is this the true first?
US Thunder's Mouth Press trade paperback original; there is no hardcover first, so the paperback is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Visionary in Residence* by Bruce Sterling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/visionary-in-residence
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.