# Is "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" by Salman Rushdie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie (Granta Books in association with Penguin, 1990) is identified by: Rushdie's first children's book; cloth boards with gilt spine lettering; copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1 (first printing) with no later-printing statement; dust jacket priced accordingly. The UK Granta/Penguin first edition (1990) precedes the US Granta/Viking Penguin edition (1990) and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Rushdie's first children's book; cloth boards with gilt spine lettering; copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1 (first printing) with no later-printing statement; dust jacket priced accordingly
- Publisher imprint reads Granta Books in association with Penguin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Salman Rushdie |
| Publisher | Granta Books in association with Penguin |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Rushdie's first children's book; cloth boards with gilt spine lettering; copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1 (first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Rushdie's first children's book; cloth boards with gilt spine lettering; copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1 (first printing) with no later-printing statement; dust jacket priced accordingly.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Granta/Penguin first edition (1990) precedes the US Granta/Viking Penguin edition (1990) and is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement or remove the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Haroun and the Sea of Stories* by Salman Rushdie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/haroun-and-the-sea-of-stories
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.