# Is "Rifles for Watie" by Harold Keith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith (Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1957) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Thomas Y. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1957
- Title page dated 1957 with no later printing statement on the copyright page
- Red cloth boards with black stars on the front and spine; illustrated by Peter Burchard
- First-issue jacket carries no Newbery Medal seal (the Medal was awarded in 1958)
- Publisher imprint reads Thomas Y. Crowell Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harold Keith |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell Company |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1957 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1957. Title page dated 1957 with no later printing statement on the copyright page. Red cloth boards with black stars on the front and spine; illustrated by Peter Burchard. First-issue jacket carries no Newbery Medal seal (the Medal was awarded in 1958).

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1958.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Crowell printed multiple printings in 1957; later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page. Post-award jackets carry the Newbery seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rifles for Watie* by Harold Keith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rifles-for-watie
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.