# Is "Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children" by Kate Greenaway a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children by Kate Greenaway (George Routledge and Sons, 1879) is identified by: Greenaway's first book of her own verses and pictures, engraved and printed in color by Edmund Evans.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Greenaway's first book of her own verses and pictures, engraved and printed in color by Edmund Evans
- The title page carries no printed date; the book was rushed into the Christmas 1878 trade even though 1879 is the year conventionally assigned to it in library and bibliographic records
- Evans printed an unusually large initial run of 20,000 copies, which sold out before he could strike a second, with reprints eventually reaching roughly 70,000 copies in England alone
- Confirmed first-issue points include the words 'End of Contents' at the foot of page 14 and three full-page illustrations on pages 21, 35, and 63 that were dropped from later printings
- Publisher imprint reads George Routledge and Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kate Greenaway |
| Publisher | George Routledge and Sons |
| Year | 1879 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Greenaway's first book of her own verses and pictures, engraved and printed in color by Edmund Evans |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Greenaway's first book of her own verses and pictures, engraved and printed in color by Edmund Evans. The title page carries no printed date; the book was rushed into the Christmas 1878 trade even though 1879 is the year conventionally assigned to it in library and bibliographic records. Evans printed an unusually large initial run of 20,000 copies, which sold out before he could strike a second, with reprints eventually reaching roughly 70,000 copies in England alone. Confirmed first-issue points include the words 'End of Contents' at the foot of page 14 and three full-page illustrations on pages 21, 35, and 63 that were dropped from later printings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Routledge printings of 'Under the Window' drop the 'End of Contents' line from page 14 and omit the full-page illustrations on pages 21, 35, and 63 that appear in the first issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children* by Kate Greenaway a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/under-the-window-pictures-rhymes-for-children-kate-greenaway
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.