How to identify a first printing
- First printing: complete number line counting down to 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); a lowest number above 1 indicates a later printing — the standard Hachette Book Group / Little, Brown house practice
- A 'First Edition' (or 'First Printing') statement on the copyright page is common but is not present on every title; the full number line is the reliable signal
Notable points & cautions
- Science-fiction and fantasy division of Hachette Book Group, launched 2007 as the US arm of UK Orbit; major SFF list
- The Orbit division comprises four imprints: Orbit, Redhook (commercial/speculative fiction, launched 2013), Orbit Works (digital), and Run For It (horror, announced July 2024)
- US Orbit is distinct from UK Orbit — confirm the edition's country of publication before applying US conventions
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Orbit, Redhook, Orbit Works, Run For It. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Orbit (US) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. First printing: complete number line counting down to 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); a lowest number above 1 indicates a later printing — the standard Hachette Book Group / Little, Brown house practice A 'First Edition' (or 'First Printing') statement on the copyright page is common but is not present on every title; the full number line is the reliable signal
Does Orbit (US) use a number line?
A 'First Edition' (or 'First Printing') statement on the copyright page is common but is not present on every title; the full number line is the reliable signal
Is a book-club edition a Orbit (US) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Science-fiction and fantasy division of Hachette Book Group, launched 2007 as the US arm of UK Orbit; major SFF list
What era does this cover?
This covers Orbit (US) (US imprint 2007–present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Orbit (US) titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- 2312 (Kim Stanley Robinson, 2012)
- Against a Dark Background (Iain M. Banks, 1993)
- Ancillary Justice (Ann Leckie, 2013)
- Excession (Iain M. Banks, 1996)
- Feersum Endjinn (Iain M. Banks, 1994)
- Inversions (Iain M. Banks, 1998)
- Look to Windward (Iain M. Banks, 2000)
- Matter (Iain M. Banks, 2008)
- Surface Detail (Iain M. Banks, 2010)
- The Algebraist (Iain M. Banks, 2004)
- The Fifth Season (N. K. Jemisin, 2015)
- The Hydrogen Sonata (Iain M. Banks, 2012)
- The Obelisk Gate (N. K. Jemisin, 2016)
- The Samuil Petrovitch Trilogy (Simon Morden, 2011)
- The Stone Sky (N. K. Jemisin, 2017)
- Translation State (Ann Leckie, 2023)
- Use of Weapons (Iain M. Banks, 1990)