# Is "Holes" by Louis Sachar a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Holes by Louis Sachar (Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998) is identified by: First edition: Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, with the full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' on the copyright page. US FSG is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, with the full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' on the copyright page
- Bound in quarter red paper over blue paper boards, with red lettering on the spine and the title stamped in blind on the front board, and red endpapers and pastedowns
- Jacket design by Vladimir Radunsky
- The first-issue dust jacket is WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1999) and retains its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis Sachar |
| Publisher | Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, with the full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Frances Foster Books / Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998, with the full number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' on the copyright page. Bound in quarter red paper over blue paper boards, with red lettering on the spine and the title stamped in blind on the front board, and red endpapers and pastedowns. Jacket design by Vladimir Radunsky. The first-issue dust jacket is WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1999) and retains its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US FSG is the true first. The pre-Newbery jacket (no gold medal), the complete number line ending in 1, and the quarter-red-over-blue binding with blind front-board stamping mark the true first printing; later jackets add the Newbery Medal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the number line and printed price and add the Newbery Medal to the jacket; club copies are smaller with a blind board stamp.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Holes* by Louis Sachar a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/holes
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.