# Is "Paper Towns" by John Green a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Paper Towns by John Green (Dutton Books, 2008) is identified by: Dutton Books, New York, published 16 October 2008; ISBN 978-0-525-47818-8. The census claim is confirmed and can be stated more strongly.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Dutton Books, New York, published 16 October 2008
- ISBN 978-0-525-47818-8
- First printings carry the complete number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page — the "1" must be present; several dealers also report a "First Edition" statement, but the number line is the point every source agrees on, so read it
- Bound in quarter black cloth over blue boards with blue spine lettering
- Jacket should be unclipped with the price present at the front flap
- Issued in two jacket variants, both correct for the first printing: a bright yellow background with Margo smiling ("happy Margo"), and a blue-grey, mud-washed, worn-finish background with Margo looking sad ("sad Margo")
- Publisher imprint reads Dutton Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Green |
| Publisher | Dutton Books |
| Year | 2008 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Dutton Books, New York, published 16 October 2008 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Dutton Books, New York, published 16 October 2008; ISBN 978-0-525-47818-8. First printings carry the complete number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page — the "1" must be present; several dealers also report a "First Edition" statement, but the number line is the point every source agrees on, so read it. Bound in quarter black cloth over blue boards with blue spine lettering. Jacket should be unclipped with the price present at the front flap. Issued in two jacket variants, both correct for the first printing: a bright yellow background with Margo smiling ("happy Margo"), and a blue-grey, mud-washed, worn-finish background with Margo looking sad ("sad Margo").

## Is this the true first?
The census claim is confirmed and can be stated more strongly. Dutton US (16 October 2008) is the unambiguous true first — the Bloomsbury UK edition did not follow until 3 May 2010, so there is no UK/US precedence or simultaneity question here. On the two jackets: both were issued on the original American hardcover and both count as first-edition jackets; neither has precedence. Dealers consistently describe the yellow "happy Margo" as the harder to find of the two, but no published census establishes relative scarcity, so treat that as trade opinion rather than fact. The third familiar Margo cover belongs to the 2009 US paperback and is not a first-edition jacket — a first-edition book in that jacket is a marriage.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No title-specific book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted. Later-issue tells: any copy whose number line lacks the "1"; Bloomsbury UK copies (2010 and later, different ISBN); and the September 2009 Dutton paperback carrying the third cover image. General period tells for club copies apply — reduced trim and lighter bulk, no price at the jacket flap or "Book Club Edition" printed at the front flap, and a blind stamp or dot on the rear board near the spine.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Paper Towns* by John Green a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/paper-towns
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.