# Is "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers (illus. Christopher Myers) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Monster by Walter Dean Myers (illus. Christopher Myers) (HarperCollins, 1999) is identified by: First printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; pictorial boards in the photo-illustrated screenplay format; original price on the jacket flap; the first-printing jacket carries NO Printz seal (the first Printz was awarded in 2000). The US HarperCollins 1999 hardcover is the true first — the inaugural Michael L.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; pictorial boards in the photo-illustrated screenplay format; original price on the jacket flap; the first-printing jacket carries NO Printz seal (the first Printz was awarded in 2000)
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Dean Myers (illus. Christopher Myers) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; pictorial boards in the photo-illustrated screenplay… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; pictorial boards in the photo-illustrated screenplay format; original price on the jacket flap; the first-printing jacket carries NO Printz seal (the first Printz was awarded in 2000).

## Is this the true first?
The US HarperCollins 1999 hardcover is the true first — the inaugural Michael L. Printz Award winner and a Coretta Scott King Honor. Note the imprint on the true first is HarperCollins, not Amistad.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the Printz medal to the jacket and drop the '1' from the number line. The Amistad-imprint paperback is a later reissue, not a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Monster* by Walter Dean Myers (illus. Christopher Myers) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/monster
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.