# Is "Mei Li" by Thomas Handforth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mei Li by Thomas Handforth (Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1938) is identified by: Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1938. US true first is the 1938 Doubleday, Doran issue with the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1938
- Per Doubleday convention of the period, the first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page; later reprints drop that statement
- Orange cloth with gilt lettering (Chinese characters to the upper board, English to the spine); pictorial endpapers; black-and-white lithograph illustrations
- The first-issue jacket bears no Caldecott seal (award announced 1939)
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday, Doran & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Handforth |
| Publisher | Doubleday, Doran & Company |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1938 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Doubleday, Doran & Company imprint; copyright 1938. Per Doubleday convention of the period, the first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page; later reprints drop that statement. Orange cloth with gilt lettering (Chinese characters to the upper board, English to the spine); pictorial endpapers; black-and-white lithograph illustrations. The first-issue jacket bears no Caldecott seal (award announced 1939).

## Is this the true first?
US true first is the 1938 Doubleday, Doran issue with the stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page. Later Doubleday & Company imprint copies are reprints.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints add the Caldecott medallion to the jacket, use the later 'Doubleday & Company' imprint, and lack the 'First Edition' copyright-page statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mei Li* by Thomas Handforth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mei-li
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.