# Is "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2000) is identified by: First published August 2000 by Alfred A. The US Knopf edition (New York, 2000) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jerry Spinelli |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First published August 2000 by Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers, New York |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First published August 2000 by Alfred A. Knopf / Knopf Books for Young Readers, New York; ISBN 0679886370 (9780679886372), 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Stargirl* by Jerry Spinelli a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/stargirl
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.