Is My Copy of Howl's Moving Castle a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the Greenwillow Books hardcover, New York, 1986 (ISBN 0-688-06233-4), 212pp, 24cm
• The copyright page carries a stated "First Edition"; the Library of Congress record (LCCN 85021981) transcribes the edition statement as "1st ed." Greenwillow was a William Morrow imprint, and Morrow-family firsts of this period pair the "First Edition" statement with a number line that must still retain the 1 — check both
• Jacket art by Jos A. Smith (single-dealer attribution)
• Priced jacket: price present at the flap, unclipped; the LoC record notes the publisher's price on the second page of the jacket
• Basis for the 2004 Miyazaki film, which drives demand for the 1986 firsts

How Greenwillow Books marked a first edition

• On first printings, the copyright page carries a 'First Edition' statement together with a number line whose lowest digit is 1
• First printing is indicated by the presence of '1' as the lowest number in the number row

Full Greenwillow Books first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US-first precedence for a UK author is supported, but the month-level dates in circulation are not. Two independent lines of evidence favour Greenwillow: the LoC record is an original CIP record created in September 1985 for the 1986 US publication and carries no "Originally published" note (contrast the LoC-derived Eddings/Corgi record, which does carry exactly such a note, showing that LoC records prior foreign publication as a matter of practice); and specialist dealers describe the Methuen Children's Books edition (London, 1986, ISBN 0-416-61590-2, blue cloth-effect boards with yellow spine titles) as the "first British edition, first printing" — a formula the trade reserves for books first published elsewhere. The widely repeated months (Greenwillow April 1986 / Methuen November 1986) trace back to Wikipedia's infobox, which is itself internally inconsistent, and are not independently confirmed. Both 1986 editions are collected — the Greenwillow as the first, the Methuen as the first British edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented for the 1986 Greenwillow or Methuen firsts in the sources consulted. Later "first thus" traps are numerous and film-driven: the HarperCollins/HarperTrophy reissues (ISBNs 0-06-441034-X, 0-06-029881-2, 0-06-147878-4), the Magnet/Mandarin UK paperbacks (Teens Mandarin, 1991), and the various post-2004 movie tie-in printings.P-043841

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Howl's Moving Castle a first edition?

A first edition of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Greenwillow Books) is identified by: True first is the Greenwillow Books hardcover, New York, 1986 (ISBN 0-688-06233-4), 212pp, 24cm.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US-first precedence for a UK author is supported, but the month-level dates in circulation are not.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue is documented for the 1986 Greenwillow or Methuen firsts in the sources consulted. Later "first thus" traps are numerous and film-driven: the HarperCollins/HarperTrophy reissues (ISBNs 0-06-441034-X, 0-06-029881-2, 0-06-147878-4), the Magnet/Mandarin UK paperbacks (Teens Mandarin, 1991), and the various post-2004 movie tie-in printings.

I have a first edition of Howl's Moving Castle — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.