# Is "Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book" by Dr. Seuss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1962) is identified by: First edition, first printing is identified by the dust jacket, which carries the original 295/295 price on the front flap. US first (Random House, New York).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing is identified by the dust jacket, which carries the original 295/295 price on the front flap
- The rear panel shows two boxed lists of Dr
- Seuss titles (large-format books above, the small-format Beginner Books below) with no listing for the Sleep Book itself
- Note that examiners have not found a reliable differentiator in the book block alone, so an unclipped first-issue jacket is essential to identify the first
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr. Seuss |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, first printing is identified by the dust jacket, which carries the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing is identified by the dust jacket, which carries the original 295/295 price on the front flap. The rear panel shows two boxed lists of Dr. Seuss titles (large-format books above, the small-format Beginner Books below) with no listing for the Sleep Book itself. Note that examiners have not found a reliable differentiator in the book block alone, so an unclipped first-issue jacket is essential to identify the first.

## Is this the true first?
US first (Random House, New York).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions were issued without the price on the jacket flap and generally on thinner boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book* by Dr. Seuss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dr-seusss-sleep-book
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.