# Is "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Harper & Brothers, 1935) is identified by: True first illustrated by Helen Sewell alone (not Sewell and Boyle, and not Garth Williams). US Harper & Brothers first, Helen Sewell-illustrated, 1935.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first illustrated by Helen Sewell alone (not Sewell and Boyle, and not Garth Williams)
- Copyright page states First Edition with the Harper letter-code B-K (February 1935)
- 1935 date; first-issue dust jacket with the original printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Laura Ingalls Wilder |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first illustrated by Helen Sewell alone (not Sewell and Boyle, and not Garth… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first illustrated by Helen Sewell alone (not Sewell and Boyle, and not Garth Williams). Copyright page states First Edition with the Harper letter-code B-K (February 1935); 1935 date; first-issue dust jacket with the original printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Brothers first, Helen Sewell-illustrated, 1935. The 1953 Garth Williams edition is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Garth Williams art indicates the post-1953 edition; later printings state a higher printing designation instead of First Edition and lack the first-issue jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Little House on the Prairie* by Laura Ingalls Wilder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/little-house-on-the-prairie
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.