# Is "Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon" by Dhan Gopal Mukerji a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji (E. P. Dutton & Company, 1927) is identified by: Dutton (New York), 1927. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, E. P. Dutton (New York), 1927
- Title page dated 1927 with no added printing line on the copyright verso
- The trade first printing is bound in purple/fuchsia cloth pictorially stamped in gilt, with the top edge sometimes stained light blue
- Illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff with double-page black-and-white spreads, chapter headings, and tailpieces
- Publisher imprint reads E. P. Dutton & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dhan Gopal Mukerji |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton & Company |
| Year | 1927 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, E. P. Dutton (New York), 1927 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, E. P. Dutton (New York), 1927. Title page dated 1927 with no added printing line on the copyright verso. The trade first printing is bound in purple/fuchsia cloth pictorially stamped in gilt, with the top edge sometimes stained light blue. Illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff with double-page black-and-white spreads, chapter headings, and tailpieces.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Newbery Medal 1928.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A separate signed limited issue with a white vellum spine and paper boards was produced after the Newbery announcement, so it is not the trade first printing. Later Dutton printings carry stated printing notices.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gay-Neck, the Story of a Pigeon* by Dhan Gopal Mukerji a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gay-neck-the-story-of-a-pigeon
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.