# Is "Northern Lights (His Dark Materials 1)" by Philip Pullman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Northern Lights (His Dark Materials 1) by Philip Pullman (Scholastic / Point, 1995) is identified by: First-issue dust jacket has 'Point' at the foot of the spine, the '7-9 Pratt Street' address on the rear flap, and the price 12.99 on the flap. UK Scholastic/Point is the true world first (July 1995), preceding the US Knopf edition retitled 'The Golden Compass' (1996).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First-issue dust jacket has 'Point' at the foot of the spine, the '7-9 Pratt Street' address on the rear flap, and the price 12.99 on the flap
- The true first-state jacket does NOT carry a Carnegie Medal sticker (an obviously later addition)
- Number-line caution: the true first should NOT show a full 10-down-to-1 line; a later 1996 Scholastic state carries the full '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'
- Scholastic/Point imprint, 1995
- Publisher imprint reads Scholastic / Point
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Pullman |
| Publisher | Scholastic / Point |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First-issue dust jacket has 'Point' at the foot of the spine, the '7-9 Pratt Street'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First-issue dust jacket has 'Point' at the foot of the spine, the '7-9 Pratt Street' address on the rear flap, and the price 12.99 on the flap. The true first-state jacket does NOT carry a Carnegie Medal sticker (an obviously later addition). Number-line caution: the true first should NOT show a full 10-down-to-1 line; a later 1996 Scholastic state carries the full '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'. Scholastic/Point imprint, 1995.

## Is this the true first?
UK Scholastic/Point is the true world first (July 1995), preceding the US Knopf edition retitled 'The Golden Compass' (1996). The first-state jacket ('Point' at the spine foot plus the 7-9 Pratt Street address, unclipped) is the key identifier.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US edition retitled 'The Golden Compass' (Knopf 1996) is a separate, later issue. A 1996 Scholastic reissue carries the full number line and is not the true first. Book-club editions differ.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Northern Lights (His Dark Materials 1)* by Philip Pullman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/northern-lights-his-dark-materials-1
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.