# Is "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers" by Mordicai Gerstein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein (Roaring Brook Press, 2003) is identified by: First printing is identified by the number line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 on the copyright page (note that it does NOT contain a 1; the lowest number is 3). The US Roaring Brook Press hardcover of 2003 is the true first edition; it won the 2004 Caldecott Medal.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing is identified by the number line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 on the copyright page (note that it does NOT contain a 1; the lowest number is 3)
- Roaring Brook Press imprint, then based in Brookfield, Connecticut
- Picture-book format with pictorial laminated boards and gatefold spreads; issued without a separate dust jacket as a jacketless laminated picture book
- The true-first boards carry no Caldecott Medal seal, awarded in 2004
- Publisher imprint reads Roaring Brook Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mordicai Gerstein |
| Publisher | Roaring Brook Press |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing is identified by the number line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 on the copyright page (note that it does NOT contain a 1; the lowest… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing is identified by the number line 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 on the copyright page (note that it does NOT contain a 1; the lowest number is 3). Roaring Brook Press imprint, then based in Brookfield, Connecticut. Picture-book format with pictorial laminated boards and gatefold spreads; issued without a separate dust jacket as a jacketless laminated picture book. The true-first boards carry no Caldecott Medal seal, awarded in 2004.

## Is this the true first?
The US Roaring Brook Press hardcover of 2003 is the true first edition; it won the 2004 Caldecott Medal. The first-printing covers predate the medal seal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later printing actually adds a 1 to the front of the number line (e.g. 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 for a subsequent printing), so a number line beginning with 1 indicates a LATER printing, not the first. Reprints also add the Caldecott seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man Who Walked Between the Towers* by Mordicai Gerstein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-who-walked-between-the-towers
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.