The points of issue
First printing carries a number line including 1; Nancy Paulsen Books imprint; memoir-in-verse, brown cloth lettered in gilt. True first jacket has no Coretta Scott King, National Book Award, or Newbery Honor seal.
Is this the true first?
The US Penguin / Nancy Paulsen Books 2014 edition (published August 2014) is the true first. It won the 2014 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Award, and is a 2015 Newbery Honor book, so the true-first jacket predates those seals.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add award seals to the jacket; book-club editions are unpriced.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Brown Girl Dreaming a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing carries a number line including 1; Nancy Paulsen Books imprint; memoir-in-verse, brown cloth lettered in gilt. True first jacket has no Coretta Scott King, National Book Award, or Newbery Honor seal.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Penguin / Nancy Paulsen Books 2014 edition (published August 2014) is the true first. It won the 2014 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Award, and is a 2015 Newbery Honor book, so the true-first jacket predates those seals.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings add award seals to the jacket; book-club editions are unpriced.
I have a first edition of Brown Girl Dreaming — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.