# Is "Some Swell Pup, or Are You Sure You Want a Dog?" by Maurice Sendak (with Matthew Margolis) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Some Swell Pup, or Are You Sure You Want a Dog? by Maurice Sendak (with Matthew Margolis) (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux first-printing convention: 'First edition' stated on the copyright page. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition is the true first; co-authored with dog trainer Matthew Margolis, who supplied the training text.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux first-printing convention: 'First edition' stated on the copyright page
- First-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price and is unclipped
- Brown cloth binding; illustrated by Sendak in comic-strip format
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Maurice Sendak (with Matthew Margolis) |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Giroux first-printing convention: 'First edition' stated on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux first-printing convention: 'First edition' stated on the copyright page. First-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price and is unclipped. Brown cloth binding; illustrated by Sendak in comic-strip format.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition is the true first; co-authored with dog trainer Matthew Margolis, who supplied the training text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later and book-club states typically lack the original jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Some Swell Pup, or Are You Sure You Want a Dog?* by Maurice Sendak (with Matthew Margolis) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/some-swell-pup-or-are-you-sure-you-want-a-dog
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.