# Is "Homer Price" by Robert McCloskey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Homer Price by Robert McCloskey (The Viking Press, 1943) is identified by: The Viking Press, New York, 1943; McCloskey's first novel, octavo, 149 pages, illustrated throughout in black and white by the author. US-only true first — The Viking Press, New York, 1943.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Viking Press, New York, 1943
- McCloskey's first novel, octavo, 149 pages, illustrated throughout in black and white by the author
- First-printing point: the copyright page carries Viking's stated-publication line, 'First published 1943' (Viking's house form from 1937 was 'First published by the Viking Press in [year]'), with no printing statement beneath it
- Viking noted subsequent printings, so any added 'Second printing' or later-dated publication line rules a copy out — the publisher rule is given by both Quill & Brush and ILAB and is corroborated by ABAA dealer collations of the book
- Binding: orange (burnt-orange) cloth pictorially stamped in brown, lettered at the spine
- Jacket: color pictorial, the front panel showing the boy eating doughnuts from the doughnut machine — priced jacket, price present at the front flap; an unclipped flap is normal on an unrestored first
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert McCloskey |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1943 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | The Viking Press, New York, 1943 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The Viking Press, New York, 1943; McCloskey's first novel, octavo, 149 pages, illustrated throughout in black and white by the author. First-printing point: the copyright page carries Viking's stated-publication line, 'First published 1943' (Viking's house form from 1937 was 'First published by the Viking Press in [year]'), with no printing statement beneath it. Viking noted subsequent printings, so any added 'Second printing' or later-dated publication line rules a copy out — the publisher rule is given by both Quill & Brush and ILAB and is corroborated by ABAA dealer collations of the book. Binding: orange (burnt-orange) cloth pictorially stamped in brown, lettered at the spine. Jacket: color pictorial, the front panel showing the boy eating doughnuts from the doughnut machine — priced jacket, price present at the front flap; an unclipped flap is normal on an unrestored first. An ISBN anywhere in the book marks a modern reprint.

## Is this the true first?
US-only true first — The Viking Press, New York, 1943. McCloskey was an American author published by Viking; no British or foreign-language edition precedes it. The UK has only later issues, notably the Puffin paperback (1982) and the Puffin Modern Classics reissue (2005), both firsts thus and not collected as the first edition. Homer Price completes the McCloskey run alongside Make Way for Ducklings (Viking, New York, 1941) and Blueberries for Sal (Viking, New York, 1948) — all three have Viking, New York firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No specific book-club issue is documented for Homer Price in the sources consulted. The routine reprint tells are Viking's own later-printing statements on the copyright page and, on modern copies, an ISBN and a number line. Later Viking Books for Young Readers hardcovers and Puffin paperbacks all carry the 1943 copyright date but state their own printing; the bare 'First published 1943' line with nothing beneath it is what separates the first from them.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Homer Price* by Robert McCloskey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/homer-price
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.