# Is "Frog and Toad Are Friends" by Arnold Lobel a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel (Harper & Row, 1970) is identified by: First edition: Harper & Row, published 26 August 1970 as an 'I Can Read' book, 64 pages; Harper code on the copyright page and no later-printing statement. US Harper & Row is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Harper & Row, published 26 August 1970 as an 'I Can Read' book, 64 pages
- Harper code on the copyright page and no later-printing statement
- Bound in publisher's illustrated boards matching the jacket art, issued in the first-issue double-sided dust jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Honor seal (the Honor was awarded in 1971) and carrying its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arnold Lobel |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Harper & Row, published 26 August 1970 as an 'I Can Read' book, 64 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Harper & Row, published 26 August 1970 as an 'I Can Read' book, 64 pages; Harper code on the copyright page and no later-printing statement. Bound in publisher's illustrated boards matching the jacket art, issued in the first-issue double-sided dust jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Honor seal (the Honor was awarded in 1971) and carrying its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row is the true first. The Harper copyright-page code, the illustrated boards, and the pre-Caldecott jacket (no Honor seal) are the markers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions omit the Harper code, add the Caldecott Honor seal to the jacket, drop the printed price, are smaller in format, and carry a blind-stamp to the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Frog and Toad Are Friends* by Arnold Lobel a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/frog-and-toad-are-friends
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.