# Is "Sylvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (Windmill Books / Simon & Schuster, 1969) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Windmill Books/Simon & Schuster 1969, with 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page. The US Windmill/Simon & Schuster printing is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Windmill Books/Simon & Schuster 1969, with 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page
- Bound in green cloth with the spine stamped in black
- The first-issue color pictorial dust jacket carries Steig's own art and, crucially, does NOT show the Caldecott Medal (the book won the medal in 1970); the printed price should be present on the front flap, and the code '6010' appears at the bottom of the front flap on first-state jackets
- Publisher imprint reads Windmill Books / Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Steig |
| Publisher | Windmill Books / Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Windmill Books/Simon & Schuster 1969, with 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Windmill Books/Simon & Schuster 1969, with 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page. Bound in green cloth with the spine stamped in black. The first-issue color pictorial dust jacket carries Steig's own art and, crucially, does NOT show the Caldecott Medal (the book won the medal in 1970); the printed price should be present on the front flap, and the code '6010' appears at the bottom of the front flap on first-state jackets.

## Is this the true first?
The US Windmill/Simon & Schuster printing is the true first. The pre-Caldecott jacket with no medal, the 'First Printing' copyright statement, green cloth stamped black, and the '6010' front-flap code together define a first issue; relaunch jackets added the medal after 1970.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions add the Caldecott Medal to the jacket, drop the printed price, are typically smaller, and carry a blind-stamped indentation on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sylvester and the Magic Pebble* by William Steig a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sylvester-and-the-magic-pebble
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.