2 Elizabeth George Speare first editions are documented on this shelf, from The Witch of Blackbird Pond (1958) to The Bronze Bow (1961). Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Elizabeth George Speare title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.

Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a Elizabeth George Speare copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond — 1958 · Houghton Mifflin CompanyFirst edition, first printing: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1958. Date 1958 on both the title page and the copyright page, with no later printing statement. First-state dust jacket has no Newbery Medal seal and no evidence of its removal. Pictorial cloth with illustrated endpapers. US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1959. Later printings add a printing statement and post-award jackets carry the Newbery seal. Book-club editions are smaller, on cheaper paper, often marked Book Club Edition on the jacket flap with no price.
The Bronze Bow — 1961 · Houghton Mifflin CompanyFirst edition, first printing: Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1961. Date 1961 on the title page and copyright page, with no printing statement (first printings are not separately stated). First-state dust jacket lacks the Newbery Medal seal (Medal awarded 1962). Pictorial cloth. US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1962. Later printings add a printing line; post-award jackets carry the Newbery seal. Book-club copies are smaller and lack a jacket price.

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