# Is "(George)" by E.L. Konigsburg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of (George) by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum, 1970) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Atheneum era-standard; number lines only from the mid-1980s); first-issue jacket bears the original price. US Atheneum first, 1970.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum first, 1970
- Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Atheneum era-standard; number lines only from the mid-1980s); first-issue jacket bears the original price
- Title stylized with parentheses
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E.L. Konigsburg |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Atheneum first, 1970 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Atheneum first, 1970. Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Atheneum era-standard; number lines only from the mid-1980s); first-issue jacket bears the original price. Title stylized with parentheses.

## Is this the true first?
US Atheneum first, 1970. Later reissued in the UK under a different title, so the Atheneum printing is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the original jacket price and may carry a period BCE blind stamp.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *(George)* by E.L. Konigsburg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/george
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.