2 Lloyd Alexander first editions are documented on this shelf, from The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain, Book 1) (1964) to The High King (1968). Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Lloyd Alexander 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 Lloyd Alexander copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.

The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain, Book 1) — 1964 · Holt, Rinehart and WinstonFirst printing states First Edition on the copyright page (Holt convention) with no later-printing line, in original cloth with the first-issue jacket retaining the original price. First of the five Chronicles of Prydain. The US Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1964 edition is the true first; the UK edition is later. The jacket art is by Evaline Ness. Book-club editions omit the First Edition statement, carry a blind-stamp to the rear board, and have a price-clipped or unpriced jacket. Later printings note additional printings.
The High King — 1968 · Holt, Rinehart and WinstonFirst edition published 1968 by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York. The true first printing states First Edition on the copyright page. The fifth and final volume of the Chronicles of Prydain. Pictorial cloth with a pictorial dust jacket; first-state jacket precedes the Newbery seal. US Holt, Rinehart and Winston 1968 is the true first. Winner of the 1969 Newbery Medal, so a jacket bearing the seal is a later (post-award) state, not the first issue. Later Holt printings drop or alter the First Edition statement. Book-club editions lack a printed jacket price; post-award jackets add the Newbery seal. The earlier four Prydain volumes are separate books; only The High King won the Medal.

More Children's & YA shelves: Lois Lowry, Ludwig Bemelmans, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Wise Brown (illus. Clement Hurd), Marguerite Henry, Maurice Sendak.

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