# Is "The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum, 1967) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Atheneum used a stated 'First Edition' in this era and did not adopt a number line until the mid-1980s). US Atheneum first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum first, 1967
- Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Atheneum used a stated 'First Edition' in this era and did not adopt a number line until the mid-1980s)
- First-issue jacket with its printed price and WITHOUT the Newbery Medal seal, since the Medal was awarded in 1968, after publication
- Octavo, original cloth
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E.L. Konigsburg |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Atheneum first, 1967 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Atheneum first, 1967. Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Atheneum used a stated 'First Edition' in this era and did not adopt a number line until the mid-1980s). First-issue jacket with its printed price and WITHOUT the Newbery Medal seal, since the Medal was awarded in 1968, after publication. Octavo, original cloth.

## Is this the true first?
US Atheneum first. Newbery Medal 1968; the first-state jacket predates the seal. Full title on the book is 'From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.' Among Konigsburg's two debut titles, both published by Atheneum in 1967.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the printed price jacket price, often add a Newbery Medal seal to the jacket, and typically show a blind-stamped dot or circle on the rear board that is standard for period BCEs.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler* by E.L. Konigsburg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mixed-up-files-of-mrs-basil-e-frankweiler
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.