# Is "Seven Little Monsters" by Maurice Sendak a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Seven Little Monsters by Maurice Sendak (Harper & Row, 1977) is identified by: US first: Harper & Row copyright page states 'First Edition' accompanied by a number line; first-issue dust jacket retains its original unclipped printed price. The true first edition is the German-language original, 'Die Geschichte von den Sieben Kleinen Riesen,' published by Diogenes Verlag, Zurich, in 1975 (translated by Gerd Haffmans).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US first: Harper & Row copyright page states 'First Edition' accompanied by a number line; first-issue dust jacket retains its original unclipped printed price
- Oblong format with pictorial boards, illustrated in color
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maurice Sendak |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | US first: Harper & Row copyright page states 'First Edition' accompanied by a number… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US first: Harper & Row copyright page states 'First Edition' accompanied by a number line; first-issue dust jacket retains its original unclipped printed price. Oblong format with pictorial boards, illustrated in color.

## Is this the true first?
The true first edition is the German-language original, 'Die Geschichte von den Sieben Kleinen Riesen,' published by Diogenes Verlag, Zurich, in 1975 (translated by Gerd Haffmans). The Harper & Row edition of 1977 is the first US and first English-language edition, not the overall first. The text derives from a Sendak animation made for Sesame Street.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and later Harper printings may retain the 'First Edition' slug (Harper sometimes failed to remove it) but typically lack the correct number line and original jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Seven Little Monsters* by Maurice Sendak a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/seven-little-monsters
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.