# Is "The Same Stuff as Stars" by Katherine Paterson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Paterson (Clarion Books, 2002) is identified by: True first is the US Clarion Books hardcover of 2002. US Clarion Books edition is the true first; published first in the United States.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the US Clarion Books hardcover of 2002
- On a first printing the copyright-page number line runs down to 1 (Houghton Mifflin/Clarion convention) and the dust jacket carries its original printed price
- Confirm the Clarion imprint and the number line
- Publisher imprint reads Clarion Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Katherine Paterson |
| Publisher | Clarion Books |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first is the US Clarion Books hardcover of 2002 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the US Clarion Books hardcover of 2002. On a first printing the copyright-page number line runs down to 1 (Houghton Mifflin/Clarion convention) and the dust jacket carries its original printed price. Confirm the Clarion imprint and the number line.

## Is this the true first?
US Clarion Books edition is the true first; published first in the United States.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack a printed jacket price and typically lack the full number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Same Stuff as Stars* by Katherine Paterson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-same-stuff-as-stars
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.