# Is "Son" by Lois Lowry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Son by Lois Lowry (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012) is identified by: US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt first, 2012 (Clarion Books imprint). US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt first, 2012 (Clarion Books imprint)
- First printing has a full number line reading down to 1 on the copyright page and the original price present on the first-issue dust jacket
- Fourth and final book in the Giver quartet
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lois Lowry |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt first, 2012 (Clarion Books imprint) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt first, 2012 (Clarion Books imprint). First printing has a full number line reading down to 1 on the copyright page and the original price present on the first-issue dust jacket. Fourth and final book in the Giver quartet.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin Harcourt edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack a price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Son* by Lois Lowry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/son
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.