# Is "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Lothian Books, 2006 (Australia) / 2007 (US)) is identified by: Australian true first: Lothian Books (Hachette Livre Australia), Sydney, 2006, wordless sepia-toned graphic novel, hardcover, ISBN 978-0-7344-0694-1. The Lothian (Australia) 2006 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Australian true first: Lothian Books (Hachette Livre Australia), Sydney, 2006, wordless sepia-toned graphic novel, hardcover, ISBN 978-0-7344-0694-1
- First US edition: Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic), New York, 2007, hardcover, identified by a complete number line on the copyright page
- The Australian first is identified by the Lothian imprint and 2006 date
- Correct publisher/imprint: Lothian Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Shaun Tan |
| Publisher | Lothian Books |
| Year | 2006 (Australia) / 2007 (US) |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Australian true first: Lothian Books (Hachette Livre Australia), Sydney, 2006, wordless sepia-toned graphic novel, hardcover, ISBN… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Australian true first: Lothian Books (Hachette Livre Australia), Sydney, 2006, wordless sepia-toned graphic novel, hardcover, ISBN 978-0-7344-0694-1. First US edition: Arthur A. Levine Books (Scholastic), New York, 2007, hardcover, identified by a complete number line on the copyright page. The Australian first is identified by the Lothian imprint and 2006 date.

## Is this the true first?
The Lothian (Australia) 2006 edition is the true first. The Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic 2007 edition is the first US edition ('first thus'). Distinguish the Australian true first from the US first by imprint, date, and number line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Verify the Lothian (Australia) versus Scholastic (US) imprint and date. Later printings are identified by a shortened number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Arrival* by Shaun Tan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-arrival
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.