Is My Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition 1971, Atheneum (New York), stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with no later-printing line
• Grey cloth with a purple mouse to the front board and purple spine lettering; in-text and full-page illustrations by Zena Bernstein
• First-state jacket retains the original printed price on the front flap and does NOT bear the Newbery Medal seal

How Atheneum marked a first edition

• Rule for the number-line era: the lowest number present indicates the printing, so a first printing must still show a 1 in the row. If the 1 (and any lower digits) have dropped off and the line begins at 2 or higher, it…
• Transitional caution: near the changeover a book may carry BOTH a 'First Edition' statement and a number row. When both are present, treat the terminal-1 number row as governing, because a printed 'First Edition' line ca…

Full Atheneum first-edition guide →

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. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US 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?

US Atheneum 1971 is the true first. Winner of the 1972 Newbery Medal. O'Brien (pseudonym of Robert Leslie Conly) died in 1973, so signed copies are scarce.P-026938

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Atheneum reprints drop the First Edition statement. Book-club editions lack the price and statement; post-award jackets add the Newbery seal.P-037175

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH a first edition?

A first edition of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (illus. Zena Bernstein) (Atheneum) is identified by: First edition 1971, Atheneum (New York), stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with no later-printing line.

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

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US Atheneum 1971 is the true first.

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

Atheneum reprints drop the First Edition statement. Book-club editions lack the price and statement; post-award jackets add the Newbery seal.

I have a first edition of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH — 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.