10 Lois Lowry first editions are documented on this shelf, from A Summer to Die (1977) to Son (2012) across 2 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Lois Lowry 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 Lois Lowry copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- A Summer to Die — 1977 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first edition, first printing. For mid-to-late-1970s Houghton Mifflin trade titles, the first printing is identified by a full number line with 1 present on the copyright page (no later-printing statement). Lowry's debut novel; jacket illustration by Jenni Oliver. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the original price. US Houghton Mifflin first edition is the true first. Later book-club printings lack the number line with 1 and their jackets omit the original trade price.
- Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye — 1978 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first edition, first printing, published 1978. Per Houghton Mifflin's late-1970s convention, the first printing carries a number line with 1 present on the copyright page (no later-printing statement). Lowry's second novel. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the original price. US Houghton Mifflin first edition is the true first. Later book-club printings lack the number line with 1 and their jackets omit the original trade price.
- Anastasia Krupnik — 1979 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first, 1979, illustrated by Diane de Groat. First printing shows the Houghton Mifflin first-printing convention on the copyright page (number line reading down to 1 in the early-1970s-onward HM style) and the price present on the first-issue dust jacket. First book in the Anastasia Krupnik series. US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first. Book-club editions are clothbound but printed on cheaper stock and lack a price on the jacket.
- Autumn Street — 1980 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first, 1980. First printing identified by the Houghton Mifflin copyright-page convention (number line to 1) with the original price present on the first-issue dust jacket. US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first. Book-club editions lack a price on the jacket.
- Anastasia Again! — 1981 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first, 1981, illustrated by Diane de Groat. First printing shows the Houghton Mifflin copyright-page convention (number line to 1) with the original price on the first-issue dust jacket. Second book in the Anastasia Krupnik series. US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first; second Anastasia book. Book-club editions lack a price on the jacket.
- Number the Stars — 1989 · Houghton MifflinFirst edition: Houghton Mifflin 1989; full number line ending in 1; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1990), with its printed price, with the Annemarie portrait on the front. No later-printing statement. US Houghton Mifflin is the true first. The pre-Newbery jacket (no medal) plus the complete number line ending in 1 mark the true first. Book-club editions add the Newbery Medal, drop the price, are smaller, and carry a board blind-stamp; later printings advance the number line.
- The Giver — 1993 · Houghton MifflinFirst edition: Houghton Mifflin 1993; full number line ending in 1; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1994), with its printed price, with the photographic portrait of the old man on the front. No later-printing statement. US Houghton Mifflin 1993 is the true first; winner of the 1994 Newbery Medal. This entry documents the number-line and seal-free first-state jacket points rather than duplicating the base title already in the index. Book-club editions add the gold Newbery seal to the jacket, lack the number line, carry a blind-stamp, and are unpriced; first printings without the seal are markedly scarcer.
- Gathering Blue — 2000 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first, 2000. First printing has a complete number line reading down to 1 on the copyright page and the original price present on the first-issue dust jacket; black cloth stamped in silver and metallic blue. Second book in the Giver quartet. US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first. Book-club editions lack a price on the jacket.
- Messenger — 2004 · Houghton MifflinUS Houghton Mifflin first, 2004. First printing has a complete number line reading down to 1 on the copyright page and the original price present on the first-issue dust jacket. Third book in the Giver quartet. US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first. Book-club editions lack a price on the jacket.
- Son — 2012 · Houghton Mifflin HarcourtUS Houghton Mifflin Harcourt first, 2012 (Clarion Books imprint). First printing has a full number line reading down to 1 on the copyright page and the original price present on the first-issue dust jacket. Fourth and final book in the Giver quartet. US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition is the true first. Book-club editions lack a price on the jacket.
More Children's & YA shelves: Ludwig Bemelmans, Madeleine L'Engle, Margaret Wise Brown (illus. Clement Hurd), Marguerite Henry, Maurice Sendak, Mo Willems.
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