# Is "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1955) is identified by: First edition 1955, Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston). US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 1955, Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston)
- Houghton Mifflin of this period did not print a First Edition statement; the first printing is identified by the title-page date matching the copyright date
- with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Illustrations by John O'Hara Cosgrave II; cloth binding
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jean Lee Latham |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Company |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 1955, Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition 1955, Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston). Houghton Mifflin of this period did not print a First Edition statement; the first printing is identified by the title-page date matching the copyright date (1955) with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Illustrations by John O'Hara Cosgrave II; cloth binding.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1956.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page or show a date discrepancy between title page and copyright page; such copies are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Carry On, Mr. Bowditch* by Jean Lee Latham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/carry-on-mr-bowditch
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.