# Is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2009) is identified by: Copyright page carries the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Cream paper boards with yellow cloth spine and gold spine lettering. US Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam is the true first (February 2009); the "Amy Einhorn Books" imprint line should be present (ISBN 9780399155345).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page carries the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Cream paper boards with yellow cloth spine and gold spine lettering
- First-state color pictorial jacket (Ellen Granter illustration) carries author review blurbs on the rear panel and LACKS any bestseller or deluxe-edition band
- Publisher imprint reads Amy Einhorn Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kathryn Stockett |
| Publisher | Amy Einhorn Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page carries the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Cream paper boards with yellow cloth spine and gold spine lettering |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page carries the number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2." Cream paper boards with yellow cloth spine and gold spine lettering. First-state color pictorial jacket (Ellen Granter illustration) carries author review blurbs on the rear panel and LACKS any bestseller or deluxe-edition band.

## Is this the true first?
US Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam is the true first (February 2009); the "Amy Einhorn Books" imprint line should be present (ISBN 9780399155345). The UK Fig Tree/Penguin edition followed. A debut novel; signed firsts are sought.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition issue here; later printings drop the 1 from the number line and add bestseller slugs to the jacket. The earliest-issue rear panel without bestseller banding confirms the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Help* by Kathryn Stockett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-help
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.