# Is "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton Mifflin, 1985) is identified by: First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1985; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal (won 1986), with its printed price (some early at the printed price). US Houghton Mifflin is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1985; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal (won 1986), with its printed price (some early at the printed price)
- Copyright page has the full number line ending in 1; jacket carries no medal seal
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Chris Van Allsburg |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1985; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal (won 1986), with its printed price (some early at… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Houghton Mifflin 1985; first-issue dust jacket WITHOUT the Caldecott Medal (won 1986), with its printed price (some early at the printed price). Copyright page has the full number line ending in 1; jacket carries no medal seal.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin is the true first. The pre-Caldecott jacket (no gold medal) plus the complete number line ending in 1 mark the true first; relaunch jackets added the medal after 1986.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions add the Caldecott Medal, lack the jacket price, are smaller, and carry a board blind-stamp; later printings advance the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Polar Express* by Chris Van Allsburg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-polar-express
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.