# Is "Northern Lights (US title: The Golden Compass)" by Philip Pullman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Northern Lights (US title: The Golden Compass) by Philip Pullman (Scholastic UK, 1995) is identified by: 'POINT' present on the spine and jacket as called for; original price on the front flap; the rear flap carries the '7-9 Pratt Street' address; full number line descending to 1. The UK Scholastic/Point 1995 edition is the true first worldwide; the US Knopf 'The Golden Compass' (1996, retitled) is a separate, later first-American edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'POINT' present on the spine and jacket as called for; original price on the front flap; the rear flap carries the '7-9 Pratt Street' address; full number line descending to 1
- Jacket art (the alethiometer) by David Scutt
- Publisher imprint reads Scholastic UK
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Pullman |
| Publisher | Scholastic UK |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | 'POINT' present on the spine and jacket as called for; original price on the front flap; the rear flap carries the '7-9 Pratt Street'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
'POINT' present on the spine and jacket as called for; original price on the front flap; the rear flap carries the '7-9 Pratt Street' address; full number line descending to 1. Jacket art (the alethiometer) by David Scutt.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Scholastic/Point 1995 edition is the true first worldwide; the US Knopf 'The Golden Compass' (1996, retitled) is a separate, later first-American edition. Northern Lights won the 1995 Carnegie Medal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later UK printings alter the rear-flap address/number line and add a Carnegie Medal sticker; the US Knopf edition is not the true first regardless of state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Northern Lights (US title: The Golden Compass)* by Philip Pullman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/northern-lights-us-title-the-golden-compass
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.