# Is "Possum Magic" by Mem Fox (illus. Julie Vivas) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Possum Magic by Mem Fox (illus. Julie Vivas) (Omnibus Books, 1983) is identified by: First printing: Omnibus Books, Adelaide, 1983, published 31 March 1983 — a square quarto, unpaginated, issued in glazed pictorial laminated boards AS ISSUED, with no dust jacket called for; a copy offered in a dust jacket should be treated with suspicion, since the first was not jacketed. Australian original — the census claim is correct, and there is no competing UK, US, or original-language edition for 1983.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing: Omnibus Books, Adelaide, 1983, published 31 March 1983 — a square quarto, unpaginated, issued in glazed pictorial laminated boards AS ISSUED, with no dust jacket called for; a copy offered in a dust jacket should be treated with suspicion, since the first was not jacketed
- Two independent Australian dealer catalogue descriptions agree on the square-quarto format and on the glazed pictorial boards 'as issued', and both identify the 1983 Omnibus Adelaide issue as the first edition, first printing
- The ISBN of the first is 0-949641-05-2
- No number line is used, so identification rests on the Omnibus Books imprint, the Adelaide place of publication, and the 1983 date on the copyright page, with the absence of any added printing statement
- One dealer reports a first print run of 5,000 copies; that figure is not independently corroborated and should not be repeated as fact
- Publisher imprint reads Omnibus Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mem Fox (illus. Julie Vivas) |
| Publisher | Omnibus Books |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | Australian edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing: Omnibus Books, Adelaide, 1983, published 31 March 1983 — a square quarto, unpaginated, issued in glazed pictorial laminated… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing: Omnibus Books, Adelaide, 1983, published 31 March 1983 — a square quarto, unpaginated, issued in glazed pictorial laminated boards AS ISSUED, with no dust jacket called for; a copy offered in a dust jacket should be treated with suspicion, since the first was not jacketed. Two independent Australian dealer catalogue descriptions agree on the square-quarto format and on the glazed pictorial boards 'as issued', and both identify the 1983 Omnibus Adelaide issue as the first edition, first printing. The ISBN of the first is 0-949641-05-2 (9780949641052). No number line is used, so identification rests on the Omnibus Books imprint, the Adelaide place of publication, and the 1983 date on the copyright page, with the absence of any added printing statement. One dealer reports a first print run of 5,000 copies; that figure is not independently corroborated and should not be repeated as fact.

## Is this the true first?
Australian original — the census claim is correct, and there is no competing UK, US, or original-language edition for 1983. Omnibus Books, Adelaide, 1983 is the true first. Mem Fox wrote the first draft in 1978 during a children's literature course at Flinders University; it was rejected by nine publishers over five years before Omnibus accepted it and asked her to cut the text by two-thirds. Overseas editions follow years later and are 'first thus', not firsts; only the Omnibus 1983 is the first edition. Later Omnibus and Omnibus/Scholastic Australia reissues retain the original imprint and are not firsts, which is the main trap on this title.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition documented. Because Possum Magic has been continuously in print since 1983 under an imprint that never changed name, later printings under the original Omnibus imprint are common and are the principal reprint trap — check the copyright page for added printing statements or a later impression line. Other tells: an Omnibus Books/Scholastic Australia joint imprint, a barcode printed on the rear board, or a later ISBN all indicate a reprint. the printed pricet, 30th, and 40th Anniversary editions (the last with added material), plus board-book, mini, and gift/plush-set issues, are 'first thus' traps.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Possum Magic* by Mem Fox (illus. Julie Vivas) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/possum-magic
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.