# Is "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices" by Paul Fleischman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman (Harper & Row, 1988) is identified by: First edition 1988, Harper & Row (New York). US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 1988, Harper & Row (New York)
- The first printing states 'First Edition' and carries the Harper code with a number line ending in 1
- Illustrated by Eric Beddows; partial-cloth pictorial boards
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paul Fleischman |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 1988, Harper & Row (New York) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition 1988, Harper & Row (New York). The first printing states 'First Edition' and carries the Harper code with a number line ending in 1. Illustrated by Eric Beddows; partial-cloth pictorial boards.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Newbery Medal 1989.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Absence of the 'First Edition' statement or a number line not ending in 1 indicates a later printing; book-club editions typically lack a jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices* by Paul Fleischman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/joyful-noise-poems-for-two-voices
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.