# Is "Among Schoolchildren" by Tracy Kidder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Among Schoolchildren by Tracy Kidder (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1989) is identified by: Cloth-backed boards (red cloth spine, speckled paper-covered boards). US Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1989, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth-backed boards (red cloth spine, speckled paper-covered boards)
- Copyright page carries a number line descending to 1
- First-state dust jacket present
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tracy Kidder |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Company |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-backed boards (red cloth spine, speckled paper-covered boards) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Cloth-backed boards (red cloth spine, speckled paper-covered boards). Copyright page carries a number line descending to 1. First-state dust jacket present.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1989, is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
By 1989 Houghton Mifflin identified first printings by a number line ending in 1, not by a printed First Printing statement; confirm the line descends to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Among Schoolchildren* by Tracy Kidder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/among-schoolchildren
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.