# Is "The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales" by Virginia Hamilton (illus. Leo & Diane Dillon) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton (illus. Leo & Diane Dillon) (Alfred A. Knopf, 1985) is identified by: 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. The US Knopf 1985 edition is the true first and 'first thus' for this collection of twenty-four retold folktales.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Virginia Hamilton (illus. Leo & Diane Dillon) |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | 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… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales* by Virginia Hamilton (illus. Leo & Diane Dillon) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-people-could-fly-american-black-folktales
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.