# Is "The Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown (illustrated by Clement Hurd) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown (illustrated by Clement Hurd) (Harper & Brothers, 1942) is identified by: First edition, first printing: 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with the Harper code 'M-Q'. Harper & Brothers (New York) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with the Harper code 'M-Q'
- Bound in green cloth with lettering on the upper board
- The first-state dust jacket advertises 'The Runaway Bunny' on the front flap and carries 'When the Wind Blew' and a 'Little Fur Family' advertisement on the rear flap, with the rear-panel imprint reading 'Harper & Brothers, New York & London'
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Margaret Wise Brown (illustrated by Clement Hurd) |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with the Harper code 'M-Q' |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page with the Harper code 'M-Q'. Bound in green cloth with lettering on the upper board. The first-state dust jacket advertises 'The Runaway Bunny' on the front flap and carries 'When the Wind Blew' and a 'Little Fur Family' advertisement on the rear flap, with the rear-panel imprint reading 'Harper & Brothers, New York & London'.

## Is this the true first?
Harper & Brothers (New York) is the true first. Clement Hurd, dissatisfied with his original art, redrew his illustrations for a revised edition issued by Harper & Row in 1972; that revised edition is a separate 'first thus' and not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1972 revised edition and book-club copies are distinct from the 1942 first. A Harper & Row imprint or the redrawn color illustrations indicate the later edition, not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Runaway Bunny* by Margaret Wise Brown (illustrated by Clement Hurd) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-runaway-bunny
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.