Is My Copy of Coraline a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Both the US HarperCollins and UK Bloomsbury hardcovers were published in 2002
• The US HarperCollins first printing carries a full number line ending in 1 and includes the Dave McKean interior illustrations; the UK Bloomsbury first edition omits the McKean illustrations

How HarperCollins marked a first edition

• 1990–present (HarperCollins): imprint reads 'HarperCollins' (News Corp merged Harper & Row with the UK's William Collins in 1990). Through the 1990s a first printing shows 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page together…

Full HarperCollins first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the indicia — a first-printing single issue carries no later-printing line; a collected edition is “first thus,” not the true first.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

Format & printing

This title first appeared as a single issue / periodical, not a trade book. The true first is the first-printing single issue; later trade paperbacks or hardcover collections are “first thus.” Check the indicia (the small-print publication block) for a printing statement.

Is this the true first?

Both editions are dated 2002 and precedence is genuinely debated among collectors; the US HarperCollins first is the one most often cited as the true first, in part because it carries the McKean illustrations the UK edition lacks. Signed and limited editions exist.P-022447

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club and film-tie-in editions are later; gift and anniversary editions are first-thus for their format, not the first edition.P-022448

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Coraline a first edition?

A first edition of Coraline by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean (HarperCollins) is identified by: Both the US HarperCollins and UK Bloomsbury hardcovers were published in 2002.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. For a single issue, the indicia shows the printing. Both editions are dated 2002 and precedence is genuinely debated among collectors; the US HarperCollins first is the one most often cited as the true first, in part because it carries the McKean illustrations the UK edition lacks.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Book-club and film-tie-in editions are later; gift and anniversary editions are first-thus for their format, not the first edition.

I have a first edition of Coraline — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.