# Is "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998) is identified by: The first edition was published in 1998 by Dial Books for Young Readers. The US true first is the 1998 Dial issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first edition was published in 1998 by Dial Books for Young Readers
- The stated first printing carries a number line on the copyright page (reported strings include 7 9 10 8 6); confirm the full descending line for the true first rather than relying on any single terminal digit
- This is a Newbery Honor book
- , not the Medal winner — the Newbery Medal went to the sequel, A Year Down Yonder, in 2001
- Publisher imprint reads Dial Books for Young Readers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Peck |
| Publisher | Dial Books for Young Readers |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | The first edition was published in 1998 by Dial Books for Young Readers |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first edition was published in 1998 by Dial Books for Young Readers. The stated first printing carries a number line on the copyright page (reported strings include 7 9 10 8 6); confirm the full descending line for the true first rather than relying on any single terminal digit. This is a Newbery Honor book (1999), not the Medal winner — the Newbery Medal went to the sequel, A Year Down Yonder, in 2001.

## Is this the true first?
The US true first is the 1998 Dial issue. It is frequently confused with its Medal-winning sequel; this title is a Newbery Honor book, not the Medal winner.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and later trade reprints lack the complete first-printing number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Long Way from Chicago* by Richard Peck a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-long-way-from-chicago
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.