# Is "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking Press, 1962) is identified by: First edition: Viking 1962; first-issue dust jacket with no Caldecott Medal (won 1963) and the printed price. US Viking is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Viking 1962; first-issue dust jacket with no Caldecott Medal (won 1963) and the printed price
- Copyright page has no later-printing statement and bears the Library of Congress number for 1962
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ezra Jack Keats |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Viking 1962; first-issue dust jacket with no Caldecott Medal (won 1963) and the printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Viking 1962; first-issue dust jacket with no Caldecott Medal (won 1963) and the printed price. Copyright page has no later-printing statement and bears the Library of Congress number for 1962.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking is the true first. The pre-Caldecott jacket (no gold medal) is the defining first-issue point — relaunch jackets added the medal after the 1963 award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions add the Caldecott Medal to the jacket, omit the price, are reduced in size, and carry a blind-stamp on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Snowy Day* by Ezra Jack Keats a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-snowy-day
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.