# Is "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (Harper & Row, 1974) is identified by: First edition: Harper & Row 1974; copyright page bears the Harper code and full number line; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price (and the printed price library) with no later-printing statement. US Harper & Row is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Harper & Row 1974; copyright page bears the Harper code and full number line; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price (and the printed price library) with no later-printing statement
- First-state binding in the textured boards
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Shel Silverstein |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition: Harper & Row 1974; copyright page bears the Harper code and full number line; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition: Harper & Row 1974; copyright page bears the Harper code and full number line; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price (and the printed price library) with no later-printing statement. First-state binding in the textured boards.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row is the true first. Identification rests on the Harper copyright-page code/number line and the printed price first-issue jacket price.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the price and Harper code, are reduced in size, and carry a board blind-stamp; later printings advance the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Where the Sidewalk Ends* by Shel Silverstein a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/where-the-sidewalk-ends
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.