# Is "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (Little, Brown & Company, 1990) is identified by: First edition 1990, Little, Brown (Boston). US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 1990, Little, Brown (Boston)
- The first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1; copyright 1990
- Pictorial cloth; first-state jacket without the Newbery Medal seal
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerry Spinelli |
| Publisher | Little, Brown & Company |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 1990, Little, Brown (Boston) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition 1990, Little, Brown (Boston). The first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1; copyright 1990. Pictorial cloth; first-state jacket without the Newbery Medal seal.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Newbery Medal 1991.

## 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; post-award jacket states add the seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Maniac Magee* by Jerry Spinelli a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/maniac-magee
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.