# Is "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Secret Project 3)" by Brandon Sanderson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Secret Project 3) by Brandon Sanderson (Dragonsteel / Tor, 2023) is identified by: True first is the Dragonsteel Entertainment premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-37-7) released to Kickstarter backers July 1, 2023. The Dragonsteel premium hardcover precedes the Tor trade edition; the Tor trade is the widely available first, confirmed by the countdown number line terminating in 1.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Dragonsteel Entertainment premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-37-7) released to Kickstarter backers July 1, 2023
- The Tor trade hardcover (ISBN 9781250899699) followed October 3, 2023, stating First Edition with Tor's full number line counting down to 1 (Tor's first-printing key takes the form '0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 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 Entertainment premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-37-7) released to Kickstarter backers July 1, 2023 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is the Dragonsteel Entertainment premium hardcover (ISBN 978-1-938570-37-7) released to Kickstarter backers July 1, 2023. The Tor trade hardcover (ISBN 9781250899699) followed October 3, 2023, stating First Edition with Tor's full number line counting down to 1 (Tor's first-printing key takes the form '0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1').

## Is this the true first?
The Dragonsteel premium hardcover precedes the Tor trade edition; the Tor trade is the widely available first, confirmed by the countdown number line terminating in 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Two distinct editions: the Dragonsteel premium hardcover versus the Tor trade hardcover; later Tor printings drop the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Yumi and the Nightmare Painter (Secret Project 3)* by Brandon Sanderson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/yumi-and-the-nightmare-painter-secret-project-3
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.