# Is "War Surf" by M. M. Buckner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of War Surf by M. M. Buckner (Ace Books, 2005) is identified by: New York: Ace Books, 2005, ISBN 9780441013203. The US Ace paperback original of 2005 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New York: Ace Books, 2005, ISBN 9780441013203
- Mass-market paperback original with no preceding hardcover; the first printing is identified by the Ace number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the price printed on the upper cover
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | M. M. Buckner |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New York: Ace Books, 2005, ISBN 9780441013203 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
New York: Ace Books, 2005, ISBN 9780441013203. Mass-market paperback original with no preceding hardcover; the first printing is identified by the Ace number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the price printed on the upper cover.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ace paperback original of 2005 is the true first. It won the Philip K. Dick Award for a distinguished paperback original, given for works published in 2005 and presented in 2006.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club or hardcover issue exists; later printings are reprints distinguished by a number line that no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *War Surf* by M. M. Buckner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/war-surf
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.