# Is "The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963" by Christopher Paul Curtis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (Delacorte Press, 1995) is identified by: First printing has the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (i.e. The US Delacorte hardcover of 1995 is the true first edition; it was the author's debut novel and earned a 1996 Newbery Honor and a 1996 Coretta Scott King Author Honor.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (i.e. it includes the 1) on the copyright page
- Delacorte Press imprint; price-clipped or priced jacket on the front flap
- The true-first jacket carries no Newbery Honor or Coretta Scott King Honor seal, since both honors were announced in 1996
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Paul Curtis |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing has the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (i.e. it includes the 1) on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (i.e. it includes the 1) on the copyright page; Delacorte Press imprint; price-clipped or priced jacket on the front flap. The true-first jacket carries no Newbery Honor or Coretta Scott King Honor seal, since both honors were announced in 1996.

## Is this the true first?
The US Delacorte hardcover of 1995 is the true first edition; it was the author's debut novel and earned a 1996 Newbery Honor and a 1996 Coretta Scott King Author Honor. A genuine first-printing jacket predates those seals.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the honor seals to the jacket. Book-club editions are typically unpriced and may carry a blind-stamp or dot on the rear board; they lack the full 1-to-10 number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Watsons Go to Birmingham — 1963* by Christopher Paul Curtis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham-1963
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.