# Is "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017) is identified by: Census claim confirmed. US: Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins, New York, published 28 February 2017 — the true first, and the only hardcover first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Angie Thomas |
| Publisher | Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Year | 2017 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | The Library of Congress record (LCCN 2016950333) gives "Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers", New York, [2017], 444 pages… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Census claim confirmed. 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hate U Give* by Angie Thomas a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hate-u-give
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.