# Is "The Outsiders" by S. E. Hinton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton (The Viking Press, 1967) is identified by: First edition: Viking Press, 1967; publisher's black cloth, spine lettered in red, red top-stain; first-issue dust jacket (art by Richard M. US Viking is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Viking Press, 1967; publisher's black cloth, spine lettered in red, red top-stain; first-issue dust jacket (art by Richard M. Powers) with the printed price present at the flap and unclipped
- The copyright page bears no later-printing statement
- The first-issue jacket flap carries the price and the publisher's synopsis only, with no review excerpts — expected for a debut by an unknown 16-year-old author before reviews existed
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | S. E. Hinton |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Viking Press, 1967; publisher's black cloth, spine lettered in red, red top-stain; first-issue dust jacket (art by Richard… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Viking Press, 1967; publisher's black cloth, spine lettered in red, red top-stain; first-issue dust jacket (art by Richard M. Powers) with the printed price present at the flap and unclipped; 188 pp. The copyright page bears no later-printing statement. The first-issue jacket flap carries the price and the publisher's synopsis only, with no review excerpts — expected for a debut by an unknown 16-year-old author before reviews existed.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking is the true first. The defining first-issue combination is an unclipped, priced Powers jacket over black cloth with no later-printing statement on the copyright page; the book is scarce because Hinton was then unknown. A publisher's 'library binding' variant also exists, with the Powers jacket art printed directly onto the boards.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are the classic trap: smaller, on cheaper/bulkier paper, with a blind-stamped circle on the rear board and a price-clipped jacket lacking the printed price. Confirm a first by the priced, unclipped jacket and the absence of any later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Outsiders* by S. E. Hinton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-outsiders
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.