# Is "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin, 1989) is identified by: First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1989; full number line ending in 1; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1990), with its printed price, with the Annemarie portrait on the front. US Houghton Mifflin is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1989; full number line ending in 1; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1990), with its printed price, with the Annemarie portrait on the front
- No later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lois Lowry |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1989; full number line ending in 1; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1990), with its… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1989; full number line ending in 1; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Newbery Medal (won 1990), with its printed price, with the Annemarie portrait on the front. No later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin is the true first. The pre-Newbery jacket (no medal) plus the complete number line ending in 1 mark the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions add the Newbery Medal, drop the price, are smaller, and carry a board blind-stamp; later printings advance the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Number the Stars* by Lois Lowry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/number-the-stars
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.