# Is "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Harper & Brothers, 1933) is identified by: True first illustrated by Helen Sewell (not Garth Williams). US Harper & Brothers first, Sewell-illustrated, 1933.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first illustrated by Helen Sewell (not Garth Williams)
- Copyright page states First Edition and carries the Harper two-letter printing code
- 1933 date; first-issue dust jacket with the original printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1933 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first illustrated by Helen Sewell (not Garth Williams) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first illustrated by Helen Sewell (not Garth Williams). Copyright page states First Edition and carries the Harper two-letter printing code; 1933 date; first-issue dust jacket with the original printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Brothers first, Sewell-illustrated, 1933. The 1953 Garth Williams edition is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Garth Williams art indicates the post-1953 edition; reprints lack the stated First Edition, the original code, and the first-issue jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Farmer Boy* by Laura Ingalls Wilder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/farmer-boy
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.