# Is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) (Random House, 1957) is identified by: Because the text was reprinted from unchanged plates, identification rests on the first-issue dust jacket. The US Random House 1957 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Because the text was reprinted from unchanged plates, identification rests on the first-issue dust jacket
- First-issue jacket is priced 250/250 on the front flap, lists fourteen Seuss titles on the rear flap, and carries the advertisement for The Cat in the Hat priced at 2.00 on the rear panel
- Glossy pictorial paper-over-boards with illustrated endpapers; copyright page bears no statement of a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Because the text was reprinted from unchanged plates, identification rests on the first-issue dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Because the text was reprinted from unchanged plates, identification rests on the first-issue dust jacket. First-issue jacket is priced 250/250 on the front flap, lists fourteen Seuss titles on the rear flap, and carries the advertisement for The Cat in the Hat priced at 2.00 on the rear panel. Glossy pictorial paper-over-boards with illustrated endpapers; copyright page bears no statement of a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House 1957 edition is the true first. Since the plates are identical across printings, the jacket price, title list, and Cat in the Hat advertisement are the principal points; a price-clipped or facsimile jacket undermines first-issue status.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions typically lack the jacket price, list later Seuss titles, are printed on thinner stock at a slightly smaller trim, and frequently carry a blind-stamp dot on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/how-the-grinch-stole-christmas
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.