# Is "Roverandom" by J.R.R. Tolkien a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 1998) is identified by: Hammond and Christina Scull. UK HarperCollins true first (January 1998); the US Houghton Mifflin edition, also 1998, follows later that year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
- UK first impression, HarperCollins, 1998, identified on the copyright page by the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2, the presence of the '1' marking the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. UK first impression, HarperCollins, 1998, identified on the copyright page by the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2, the presence of the '1' marking the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
UK HarperCollins true first (January 1998); the US Houghton Mifflin edition, also 1998, follows later that year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions drop the '1' from the number line; only the line reading 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 marks the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Roverandom* by J.R.R. Tolkien a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/roverandom
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.