# Is "Jumanji" by Chris Van Allsburg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, 1981) is identified by: First printing has the publication date on the title page and a full number line down to 1 on the copyright page, bound in green cloth with copper/gold spine titling; first-state jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal seal, oblong large format, with the price present on the flap. US Houghton Mifflin 1981 is the true first; Van Allsburg won the 1982 Caldecott Medal, so a seal-free first-state jacket is the point.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the publication date on the title page and a full number line down to 1 on the copyright page, bound in green cloth with copper/gold spine titling; first-state jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal seal, oblong large format, with the price present on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Chris Van Allsburg |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing has the publication date on the title page and a full number line down to 1 on the copyright page, bound in green cloth with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the publication date on the title page and a full number line down to 1 on the copyright page, bound in green cloth with copper/gold spine titling; first-state jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal seal, oblong large format, with the price present on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin 1981 is the true first; Van Allsburg won the 1982 Caldecott Medal, so a seal-free first-state jacket is the point. (The Polar Express is already in the live index; this is a distinct earlier title.)

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings lack the full number line down to 1; book-club copies carry a blind-stamp and are unpriced. Jackets bearing the gold Caldecott seal are later states.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jumanji* by Chris Van Allsburg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jumanji
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.