Is My A Hole Is to Dig a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Harper & Brothers, New York, 1952; subtitled "A First Book of First Definitions"
• Sendak's fourth book
• The operative state point, per Hanrahan A4, is the ABSENCE of the "Grr-r-r" at the foot of the leaf showing the child making a bed — cited as page 23 by most dealers and as leaf 13 recto by others (the book is unpaginated, so leaf counts differ)
• First state lacks the "Grr-r-r"; its presence marks the second issue and later
• A black cloth spine is also a later tell per Hanrahan A4
• Quarter teal cloth over pictorial paper boards is recorded on both first- and second-issue copies, so cloth colour alone does not establish priority — the "Grr-r-r" is the decisive point

How Harper & Brothers marked a first edition

• From 1922: also began printing 'First Edition' on the copyright page in addition to the code.
• Letter code discontinued after 1949; later Harper & Row used standard statements/number lines.

Full Harper & Brothers first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US precedes; no competing UK or foreign-language edition located that would rival priority. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1952 is the true first. Some dealers catalogue the 1952 sheets as "Harper & Row, 1952" — that is a cataloguing slip (Harper & Row did not exist until the 1962 merger), not a separate edition, and such copies must still be tested on the "Grr-r-r" point.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue documented in the sources consulted. Later-state and reprint tells are the "Grr-r-r" at the foot of page 23 and a black cloth spine, both later per Hanrahan A4. Genuine Harper & Row imprints and the later Harper Trophy paperbacks are reprints.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of A Hole Is to Dig a first edition?

A first edition of A Hole Is to Dig by Ruth Krauss (illus. Maurice Sendak) (Harper & Brothers) is identified by: Harper & Brothers, New York, 1952; subtitled "A First Book of First Definitions"; Sendak's fourth book.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US precedes; no competing UK or foreign-language edition located that would rival priority.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue documented in the sources consulted. Later-state and reprint tells are the "Grr-r-r" at the foot of page 23 and a black cloth spine, both later per Hanrahan A4. Genuine Harper & Row imprints and the later Harper Trophy paperbacks are reprints.

I have a first edition of A Hole Is to Dig — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.