# Is "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Harper & Row, 1964) is identified by: First edition states a Harper code on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with no Caldecott/award mention. US Harper & Row is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition states a Harper code on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with no Caldecott/award mention
- Earliest issue has the green cloth-textured boards / first-state binding and the jacket spine without later award blurbs
- The book block is undated by reprint line on the first
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Shel Silverstein |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition states a Harper code on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with no Caldecott/award mention |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition states a Harper code on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with no Caldecott/award mention. Earliest issue has the green cloth-textured boards / first-state binding and the jacket spine without later award blurbs. The book block is undated by reprint line on the first.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row is the true first. Jacket price (the printed price) and the absence of later printing statements/award blurbs are the practical first-issue markers, as the book was a slow seller initially and early printings are scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the jacket price and the Harper code, carry a blind-stamp on the rear board, and use the later printing's jacket blurbs touting its popularity.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Giving Tree* by Shel Silverstein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-giving-tree
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.