Is My 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

• Treat the claim that 'later titles adopted a number line with 1 present' as UNVERIFIED/likely incorrect for World — no evidence found that World used a Scribner/Random-House-style number line; the leading-digit title-pag…

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 — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

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.