Is My Stargirl a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published August 2000 by Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers, New York
• ISBN 0679886370
• , 8vo, 186 pp., in a pictorial dust jacket
• The first printing is identified by the Random House children's-division number line on the copyright page reading "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" — the presence of the 1 is the operative point
• Knopf has stated "First Edition" on the copyright page consistently since about 1933-34, but reference guides record children's books as a documented exception to that practice, so the number line rather than the statement is the reliable test; a copy showing the statement but a number line beginning at 2 or higher is a later printing
• Jacket should be present and priced at the flap

How Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers marked a first edition

• c.1970s onward (number-line era, added ALONGSIDE the words — it did not replace them): later Knopf firsts also carry a descending numeric printer's key (often with a manufacturing/printer code). A first printing shows th…

Full Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The US Knopf edition (New York, 2000) is the true first. Correcting the census note slightly: this is not "US-only" — a UK first was published by Orchard Books (London) in 2001, a year later. The Orchard edition is collected as the first British appearance but does not compete for precedence. Later Knopf/Ember trade paperbacks and the film tie-in issue are reprints.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Scholastic issued school-book-club printings (ISBNs 0439316750 and 0439444438) that are club/school editions, not trade firsts — the Scholastic imprint on the spine or copyright page is the tell. The Alfred A. Knopf Readers Circle (ISBN 037582233X, 2002) and Ember paperbacks are later trade paperback reprints, and the 2020 film tie-in is a reprint.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Stargirl a first edition?

A first edition of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers) is identified by: First published August 2000 by Alfred A.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US Knopf edition (New York, 2000) is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Scholastic issued school-book-club printings (ISBNs 0439316750 and 0439444438) that are club/school editions, not trade firsts — the Scholastic imprint on the spine or copyright page is the tell. The Alfred A. Knopf Readers Circle (ISBN 037582233X, 2002) and Ember paperbacks are later trade paperback reprints, and the 2020 film tie-in is a reprint.

I have a first edition of Stargirl — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.