# Is "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011) is identified by: First edition 2011, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 2011, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York
- First printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; copyright 2011
- Note FSG does not print a First Edition statement, so identification rests on the number line
- Pictorial boards; first-state jacket without the Newbery seal
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Gantos |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 2011, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition 2011, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York. First printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; copyright 2011. Note FSG does not print a First Edition statement, so identification rests on the number line. Pictorial boards; first-state jacket without the Newbery seal.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Newbery Medal awarded 2012.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A number line not ending in 1 indicates a later printing; book-club editions lack a printed jacket price; post-award jackets add the Newbery seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dead End in Norvelt* by Jack Gantos a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dead-end-in-norvelt
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.