# Is "Abraham Lincoln" by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire (Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1939) is identified by: Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1939. US true first is the 1939 Doubleday, Doran issue with the stated 'First Edition' copyright-page statement.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1939
- Per Doubleday convention, the first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page
- The large-format stone-lithograph picture book; pictorial paper-covered boards over cloth spine
- A reported first-state textual point is an incorrect date given for the Emancipation Proclamation
- The d'Aulaires reworked the artwork for later editions (acetate reproduction from the late 1950s), so the 1939 printing is the point of issue
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday, Doran & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire |
| Publisher | Doubleday, Doran & Company |
| Year | 1939 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1939 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1939. Per Doubleday convention, the first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page. The large-format stone-lithograph picture book; pictorial paper-covered boards over cloth spine. A reported first-state textual point is an incorrect date given for the Emancipation Proclamation. The d'Aulaires reworked the artwork for later editions (acetate reproduction from the late 1950s), so the 1939 printing is the point of issue.

## Is this the true first?
US true first is the 1939 Doubleday, Doran issue with the stated 'First Edition' copyright-page statement.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry the Caldecott seal (award 1940), use the 'Doubleday & Company' imprint, and reproduce the art from acetate rather than the original stone lithographs.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Abraham Lincoln* by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/abraham-lincoln
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.