# Is "The Children of Húrin" by J.R.R. Tolkien a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2007) is identified by: Christopher Tolkien, illus. Published simultaneously on 17 April 2007 by HarperCollins in the UK and Houghton Mifflin in the US; the UK HarperCollins printing is the originating edition and the one collectors treat as the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Alan Lee (jacket plus interior illustrations, eight in colour)
- UK first impression 2007 with printing number line including 1; a deluxe slipcased quarterbound issue with gold Helm of Hador motif also exists
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J.R.R. Tolkien |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Alan Lee (jacket plus interior illustrations, eight in colour) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Ed. Christopher Tolkien, illus. Alan Lee (jacket plus interior illustrations, eight in colour). UK first impression 2007 with printing number line including 1; a deluxe slipcased quarterbound issue with gold Helm of Hador motif also exists.

## Is this the true first?
Published simultaneously on 17 April 2007 by HarperCollins in the UK and Houghton Mifflin in the US; the UK HarperCollins printing is the originating edition and the one collectors treat as the true first. The deluxe slipcased issue is the premium format.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and later printings lack the number line to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Children of Húrin* by J.R.R. Tolkien a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-children-of-h-rin
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.