# Is "Outside Over There" by Maurice Sendak a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak (Harper & Row, 1981) is identified by: First printing has NO printing number on the copyright page; later printings add a small numeral (a '(2)' on the copyright page marks the second printing). The US Harper & Row 1981 edition is the true first; the Bodley Head UK edition is later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has NO printing number on the copyright page; later printings add a small numeral (a '
- ' on the copyright page marks the second printing)
- First-issue jacket retains the original price
- Red cloth boards with gilt titling to the front board and spine, oblong format, unpaginated
- Completes Sendak's picture-book trilogy with Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maurice Sendak |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing has NO printing number on the copyright page; later printings add a small numeral (a ' |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has NO printing number on the copyright page; later printings add a small numeral (a '(2)' on the copyright page marks the second printing). First-issue jacket retains the original price. Red cloth boards with gilt titling to the front board and spine, oblong format, unpaginated. Completes Sendak's picture-book trilogy with Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row 1981 edition is the true first; the Bodley Head UK edition is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the original jacket price, are often slightly reduced in trim size, and carry a blind-stamp on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Outside Over There* by Maurice Sendak a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/outside-over-there
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.