The points of issue
Stated first edition on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1; large-format hardcover with Leo and Diane Dillon jacket art and full-page paintings throughout; original price on the front jacket flap.
Is this the true first?
The US Knopf 1985 edition is the true first and 'first thus' for this collection of twenty-four retold folktales. It won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the '1' from the number line; book-club and Scholastic reprints lack the stated-first line and the original flap price.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Stated first edition on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1; large-format hardcover with Leo and Diane Dillon jacket art and full-page paintings throughout; original price on the front jacket flap.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Knopf 1985 edition is the true first and 'first thus' for this collection of twenty-four retold folktales. It won the Coretta Scott King Author Award and also received a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings drop the '1' from the number line; book-club and Scholastic reprints lack the stated-first line and the original flap price.
I have a first edition of The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.