Is My Copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first printing: The World Publishing Company (New York and Cleveland), 1969, with die-cut pages
• First-printing tests: a COMPLETE number line on the copyright page ending in 1 — '1 2 3 4 5 73 72 71 70 69'; 'Printed in Japan' on the copyright page (the die-cut construction had to be printed in Japan); the code 'A3450' at the lower rear board; and the World Publishing imprint on the title page
• Later World printings drop the '1' from the front of the number line, so a line beginning '2 3 4 5…' is not a first

How World Publishing marked a first edition

• PRIMARY METHOD (the convention omits this): World Publishing typically printed a code on the TITLE PAGE indicating impression and print date. A first printing shows a bare code such as 'WP 9-50' (= printed Sept 1950…
• Later printings are signaled by a NUMBER PREFIXED to that title-page code, e.g. '3HC1058' = 3rd printing, printed Oct 1958. Absence of a leading number on the code supports a first printing.

Full World Publishing first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The US World Publishing edition (1969) is the true first and precedes the UK by a full year: the UK Hamish Hamilton edition did not appear until 1970 (an oblong format with white glazed pictorial boards). Precedence is therefore NOT 'close' — World Publishing 1969, with the complete number line and 'Printed in Japan,' is the collected first. US rights later moved to Philomel/Putnam, and even early Philomel copies are reprints, not firsts.P-036658

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club and later Philomel/Putnam printings carry different imprints and later copyright pages and lack the World Publishing masthead, the 'Printed in Japan' line, and the complete '…71 70 69 / 1' number line; a 'World–Collins' imprint indicates a post-1974 printing. Club copies typically lack the price at the flap.P-036659

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar a first edition?

A first edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (World Publishing) is identified by: First edition, first printing: The World Publishing Company (New York and Cleveland), 1969, with die-cut pages.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US World Publishing edition (1969) is the true first and precedes the UK by a full year: the UK Hamish Hamilton edition did not appear until 1970 (an oblong format with white glazed pictorial boards).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Book-club and later Philomel/Putnam printings carry different imprints and later copyright pages and lack the World Publishing masthead, the 'Printed in Japan' line, and the complete '…71 70 69 / 1' number line; a 'World–Collins' imprint indicates a post-1974 printing. Club copies typically lack the price at the flap.

I have a first edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.