# Is "Shadow of a Bull" by Maia Wojciechowska a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska (Atheneum, 1964) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Atheneum, New York, 1964. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Atheneum, New York, 1964
- Per Atheneum convention the first printing states First Edition on the copyright page with no later printing line
- Red cloth lettered in blind with gilt spine; illustrated by Alvin Smith
- First-issue yellow pictorial dust jacket with no award seal
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maia Wojciechowska |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Atheneum, New York, 1964 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Atheneum, New York, 1964. Per Atheneum convention the first printing states First Edition on the copyright page with no later printing line. Red cloth lettered in blind with gilt spine; illustrated by Alvin Smith. First-issue yellow pictorial dust jacket with no award seal.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1965.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Atheneum printings drop the stated First Edition; post-award jackets add the Newbery seal. Book-club editions lack the price and the First Edition statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shadow of a Bull* by Maia Wojciechowska a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shadow-of-a-bull
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.