# Is "Dear Mili (text by Wilhelm Grimm)" by Maurice Sendak (illustrator) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dear Mili (text by Wilhelm Grimm) by Maurice Sendak (illustrator) (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux first, first printing: 'First edition' stated on the copyright page. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition, translated by Ralph Manheim, is the true first; illustrated by Sendak from a long-unpublished Wilhelm Grimm tale.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux first, first printing: 'First edition' stated on the copyright page
- First-issue dust jacket retains its original unclipped printed price
- Oblong format; gray cloth blind-stamped on the front, spine stamped in gilt, pale-pink endpapers
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maurice Sendak (illustrator) |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Giroux first, first printing: 'First edition' stated on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux first, first printing: 'First edition' stated on the copyright page. First-issue dust jacket retains its original unclipped printed price. Oblong format; gray cloth blind-stamped on the front, spine stamped in gilt, pale-pink endpapers.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition, translated by Ralph Manheim, is the true first; illustrated by Sendak from a long-unpublished Wilhelm Grimm tale.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later and book-club states typically lack the original jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dear Mili (text by Wilhelm Grimm)* by Maurice Sendak (illustrator) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dear-mili-text-by-wilhelm-grimm
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.