Is My 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 Child…

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.

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.

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: Census claim confirmed.

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 — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

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.