# Is "Shen of the Sea" by Arthur Bowie Chrisman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman (E. P. Dutton & Company, 1925) is identified by: Dutton (New York), 1925. US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, E. P. Dutton (New York), 1925
- The first printing has no date on the title page and no further-printing statement on the copyright verso
- Octavo of about 252 pages bound in olive cloth lettered in black on the spine, with no mention of the Newbery on the binding
- Illustrated with silhouette decorations by Else Hasselriis
- Publisher imprint reads E. P. Dutton & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Bowie Chrisman |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton & Company |
| Year | 1925 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, E. P. Dutton (New York), 1925 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, E. P. Dutton (New York), 1925. The first printing has no date on the title page and no further-printing statement on the copyright verso. Octavo of about 252 pages bound in olive cloth lettered in black on the spine, with no mention of the Newbery on the binding. Illustrated with silhouette decorations by Else Hasselriis.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Newbery Medal 1926 for the 1925 publication.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Dutton printings add stated printing notices; bindings or jackets referencing the Newbery Medal postdate the first printing. Verify the bare copyright verso and the undated title page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shen of the Sea* by Arthur Bowie Chrisman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shen-of-the-sea
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.