# Is "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) (Random House, 1971) is identified by: First edition: Random House 1971; first-issue text contains the line 'I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie' (page with the Humming-Fish) — REMOVED from printings after ~1980s. US Random House is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Random House 1971; first-issue text contains the line 'I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie' (page with the Humming-Fish) — REMOVED from printings after ~1980s
- First-issue jacket with its printed price with rear-panel title list ending appropriately for 1971
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Random House 1971; first-issue text contains the line 'I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie' (page with the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Random House 1971; first-issue text contains the line 'I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie' (page with the Humming-Fish) — REMOVED from printings after ~1980s. First-issue jacket with its printed price with rear-panel title list ending appropriately for 1971.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House is the true first. The presence of the 'Lake Erie' line is the defining textual first-issue point; the line was deleted in later printings at the request of Ohio researchers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and later printings remove the 'Lake Erie' line, drop the jacket price, advance the rear-panel title list, and (club copies) add a board blind-stamp.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lorax* by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lorax
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.