Is My Copy of The Hate U Give a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The Library of Congress record (LCCN 2016950333) gives "Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers", New York, [2017], 444 pages, 22 cm, ISBN 978-0-06-249853-3, with an unbracketed edition statement "First edition." — unbracketed, meaning transcribed from the book, so the volume states it
• A first printing has that "FIRST EDITION" statement together with a full number line descending to 1 ("10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1"); two independent dealers describe first printings as "First edition stated, first printing with full numberline present" and cite the "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" line
• The number line governs, not the statement: HarperCollins is documented as sometimes failing to remove the "First Edition" statement from later printings, so a copy without a quoted number line should not be accepted
• Jacket is priced at the front flap, and dealers identify the first-state jacket as carrying no accolade or award stickers

How Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers marked a first edition

• First printing: a 'First Edition' statement and/or a number line whose lowest digit is 1 on the copyright page. Titles published 2008-2024 follow HarperCollins house style; titles from 2024 forward follow Macmillan…

Full Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US: Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins, New York, published 28 February 2017 — the true first, and the only hardcover first. UK: Walker Books, London, April 2017 — issued as a paperback roughly five weeks later, so it does not contest precedence and is not a collected rival to the American hardcover. Written in English; no original-language question.P-044378

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The film tie-in (2018) and the anniversary/reissue jackets are the main later-issue traps, along with the 2022 Balzer + Bray reissue (ISBN 0-06-249854-1). Award and accolade stickers applied to the jacket, and jackets that print accolades into the artwork, indicate stock later than the first state. No book-club issue of the Balzer + Bray hardcover was documented in the sources consulted.P-044379

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Hate U Give a first edition?

A first edition of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) is identified by: The Library of Congress record (LCCN 2016950333) gives "Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers", New York, [2017], 444 pages, 22 cm, ISBN 978-0-06-249853-3, with an unbracketed edition statement "First edition." — unbracketed, meaning transcribed from the book, so the volume states it.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US: Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins, New York, published 28 February 2017 — the true first, and the only hardcover first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The film tie-in (2018) and the anniversary/reissue jackets are the main later-issue traps, along with the 2022 Balzer + Bray reissue (ISBN 0-06-249854-1). Award and accolade stickers applied to the jacket, and jackets that print accolades into the artwork, indicate stock later than the first state. No book-club issue of the Balzer + Bray hardcover was documented in the sources consulted.

I have a first edition of The Hate U Give — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.