# Is "The Fiery Cross" by Diana Gabaldon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon (Delacorte Press, 2001) is identified by: US Delacorte Press first printing, Outlander book 5, ISBN 0-385-31527-6. US Delacorte Press is the American first (published November 2001, per the "November, 2001" copyright-page statement).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Delacorte Press first printing, Outlander book 5, ISBN 0-385-31527-6
- The copyright page states "November, 2001" and carries a full number line ending in 1
- Bound in boards with a contrasting cloth backstrap (red boards with a black cloth spine on the US issue) and lettered spine; priced dust jacket, whose printed price should be present
- Thick volume of 979 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Diana Gabaldon |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Delacorte Press first printing, Outlander book 5, ISBN 0-385-31527-6 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Delacorte Press first printing, Outlander book 5, ISBN 0-385-31527-6. The copyright page states "November, 2001" and carries a full number line ending in 1. Bound in boards with a contrasting cloth backstrap (red boards with a black cloth spine on the US issue) and lettered spine; priced dust jacket, whose printed price should be present. Thick volume of 979 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US Delacorte Press is the American first (published November 2001, per the "November, 2001" copyright-page statement).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club and later printings lack the "November, 2001" statement and the full number line ending in 1; the club printing is a smaller trim bound in full boards with a blind gutter code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fiery Cross* by Diana Gabaldon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fiery-cross
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.