The points of issue
The Macmillan Company imprint, copyright 1945, with no later-printing notation. The first-issue dust jacket carries no Caldecott seal, as the medal was awarded in 1946. The 1945 first printing contains the original full complement of illustrations, including two pages depicting African American children that were later removed.
Is this the true first?
The US true first is the 1945 Macmillan issue. The book was revised in 1966, when two illustrations depicting Black children were dropped as offensive; revised printings carry this altered content and are not the first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the Caldecott medallion to the jacket; post-1966 printings show the revised illustration set. The unrevised 1945 text and full illustration set distinguish the first printing.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: The Macmillan Company imprint, copyright 1945, with no later-printing notation. The first-issue dust jacket carries no Caldecott seal, as the medal was awarded in 1946. The 1945 first printing contains the original full complement of illustrations, including two pages depicting African American children that were later removed.
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 true first is the 1945 Macmillan issue. The book was revised in 1966, when two illustrations depicting Black children were dropped as offensive; revised printings carry this altered content and are not the first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings add the Caldecott medallion to the jacket; post-1966 printings show the revised illustration set. The unrevised 1945 text and full illustration set distinguish the first printing.
I have a first edition of The Rooster Crows: A Book of American Rhymes and Jingles — 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.