# Is "It's Like This, Cat" by Emily Cheney Neville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of It's Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville (Harper & Row, 1963) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Harper & Row, New York, 1963. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Harper & Row, New York, 1963
- The primary point is the words FIRST EDITION printed on the copyright page
- Harper of this era also carries a two-letter code on the copyright page in which the second letter denotes the year of printing (the year letter for 1963 is N); on a true first this code corresponds to 1963
- Illustrated by Emil Weiss
- Copyright 1963 by Emily Neville
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Emily Cheney Neville |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Harper & Row, New York, 1963 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Harper & Row, New York, 1963. The primary point is the words FIRST EDITION printed on the copyright page. Harper of this era also carries a two-letter code on the copyright page in which the second letter denotes the year of printing (the year letter for 1963 is N); on a true first this code corresponds to 1963. Illustrated by Emil Weiss. Copyright 1963 by Emily Neville.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1964.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
On later printings the stated First Edition is removed and the copyright-page year code advances to a later year letter. Book-club and library reprints lack the stated First Edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *It's Like This, Cat* by Emily Cheney Neville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/its-like-this-cat
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.