# Is "The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper" by E.L. Konigsburg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum, 1974) is identified by: Atheneum first edition, 1974, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. US Atheneum edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum first edition, 1974, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page
- Bound in brown publisher's cloth with a green dragon stamped on the front board and green lettering on the spine, over green endpapers, and illustrated throughout with the author's own in-text and full-page line drawings
- Collation runs to [6], 3-124 pages
- The first-issue dust jacket carries the author's cover art and must retain its printed price on the front flap; the presence of that printed price and the copyright-page 'First Edition' line together confirm the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E.L. Konigsburg |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Atheneum first edition, 1974, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Atheneum first edition, 1974, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. Bound in brown publisher's cloth with a green dragon stamped on the front board and green lettering on the spine, over green endpapers, and illustrated throughout with the author's own in-text and full-page line drawings. Collation runs to [6], 3-124 pages. The first-issue dust jacket carries the author's cover art and must retain its printed price on the front flap; the presence of that printed price and the copyright-page 'First Edition' line together confirm the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Atheneum edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings lack the dust-jacket price and typically omit the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dragon in the Ghetto Caper* by E.L. Konigsburg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dragon-in-the-ghetto-caper
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.