# Is "The Reptile Room (ASOUE 2)" by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Reptile Room (ASOUE 2) by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) (HarperCollins, 1999) is identified by: First printing shows the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page; pictorial boards, issued without a dust jacket; Brett Helquist illustrations. US HarperCollins true first (1999).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing shows the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page; pictorial boards, issued without a dust jacket
- Brett Helquist illustrations
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing shows the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing shows the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page; pictorial boards, issued without a dust jacket; Brett Helquist illustrations.

## Is this the true first?
US HarperCollins true first (1999).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line (low numbers drop away); tie-in editions exist.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Reptile Room (ASOUE 2)* by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-reptile-room-asoue-2
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.