# Is "A Hole Is to Dig" by Ruth Krauss (illus. Maurice Sendak) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Hole Is to Dig by Ruth Krauss (illus. Maurice Sendak) (Harper & Brothers, 1952) is identified by: Harper & Brothers, New York, 1952; subtitled "A First Book of First Definitions"; Sendak's fourth book. US precedes; no competing UK or foreign-language edition located that would rival priority.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ruth Krauss (illus. Maurice Sendak) |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Harper & Brothers, New York, 1952; subtitled "A First Book of First Definitions" |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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. Roughly 6.75 x 5 inches. The pictorial jacket should be present and priced (price present at the flap, unclipped). Copyright page carries 1952 with no later-printing notice.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Hole Is to Dig* by Ruth Krauss (illus. Maurice Sendak) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-hole-is-to-dig
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.