Is My Mr. Tickle (Mr. Men #1) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The census claim of Thurman Publishing is INCORRECT and is corrected here: the first printing was issued by Fabbri & Partners, London, on 10 August 1971, as one of the launch group of small-format Mr
• Men titles
• The controlling identification point is the publisher imprint — a true first carries 'Fabbri' at the rear panel, whereas the Thurman Publishing imprint (with Thurman's distinctive company logo) marks the later printings issued after Thurman took the series over
• The books were issued as small square-format pictorial paper wrappers, not as hardbacks; no edition statement and no number line were used, so the imprint at the rear panel is the only reliable discriminator
• The ISBN 0-85396-003-8 commonly catalogued for this title sits in the 0-85396 prefix that dealer records attach to Thurman Publishing, so an ISBN present on the book argues for a Thurman-era printing rather than the 1971 Fabbri issue

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK original; there is no competing US or original-language edition, as the Mr. Men began as a British series. Precedence runs Fabbri & Partners (London, 10 August 1971), then Thurman Publishing (London, from the mid-1970s), then later Price Stern Sloan (US), World International/Egmont and current Egmont/Farshore issues. Only the Fabbri issue is the first edition. Sources differ on whether the launch group was six titles (Mr. Tickle, Mr. Greedy, Mr. Happy, Mr. Nosey, Mr. Sneeze, Mr. Bump) or seven (adding Mr. Snow); Mr. Tickle is consistently listed first in every account.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented for the 1971 issue. The dominant reprint tells are imprint-based: any copy bearing the Thurman Publishing, Price Stern Sloan, World International, Egmont or Farshore imprint is a later printing, not the Fabbri first. The hardback 30th-anniversary collector's edition of 2001, which adds a foreword by Adam Hargreaves, is a 'first thus' trap and is not a first edition.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Mr. Tickle (Mr. Men #1) a first edition?

A first edition of Mr. Tickle (Mr. Men #1) by Roger Hargreaves (Fabbri & Partners) is identified by: The census claim of Thurman Publishing is INCORRECT and is corrected here: the first printing was issued by Fabbri & Partners, London, on 10 August 1971, as one of the launch group of small-format Mr.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). UK original; there is no competing US or original-language edition, as the Mr.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition is documented for the 1971 issue. The dominant reprint tells are imprint-based: any copy bearing the Thurman Publishing, Price Stern Sloan, World International, Egmont or Farshore imprint is a later printing, not the Fabbri first. The hardback 30th-anniversary collector's edition of 2001, which adds a foreword by Adam Hargreaves, is a 'first thus' trap and is not a first edition.

I have a first edition of Mr. Tickle (Mr. Men #1) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.