# Is "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (Harcourt, Brace & Company, 1956) is identified by: First edition 1956, Harcourt, Brace and Company (New York), title page dated 1956. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 1956, Harcourt, Brace and Company (New York), title page dated 1956
- The first printing is identified by the words First Edition stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice
- Illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush; cloth binding
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Virginia Sorensen |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace & Company |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 1956, Harcourt, Brace and Company (New York), title page dated 1956 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition 1956, Harcourt, Brace and Company (New York), title page dated 1956. The first printing is identified by the words First Edition stated on the copyright page, with no later-printing notice. Illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush; cloth binding.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1957.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Harcourt removed the First Edition statement on later printings, so a copy lacking it or carrying a later-printing line is a reprint. The Harcourt single-letter printing code did not exist until the early 1980s and does not apply to a 1956 title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Miracles on Maple Hill* by Virginia Sorensen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/miracles-on-maple-hill
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.