Is My Copy of Wonder a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing is identified on the copyright page, which reads "February 2012" followed by the number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and then "FIRST EDITION"; the same page carries the Library of Congress control number 2011027133 and the Borzoi/Knopf imprint line
• The number line is decisive, not the words: the "FIRST EDITION" statement and the February 2012 date persist on later printings, which is why dealers routinely list copies as "1st ed., later printing" (one lists a 42nd printing) — the lowest number surviving in the line gives the printing, so a second printing's line begins at 2
• Collation per LC: 315 pages, 22 cm
• Trade hardcover is ISBN 978-0-375-86902-0; the simultaneous Knopf library binding is ISBN 978-0-375-96902-7 and is a separate issue, not the trade first
• Binding is quarter black cloth over blue boards with a blind-stamped "choose kind" device to the front and gilt/lime spine lettering; jacket art is by Tad Carpenter (copyright 2012), and the earliest jacket state is priced at the flap and carries no award or movie-tie-in banner

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

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?

US: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, published 14 February 2012 — the true first. UK: The Bodley Head, London, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-370-33228-4), issued about 1 March 2012, roughly two weeks later; it is collected in Britain as the first UK edition but does not contest precedence. Written in English; no original-language question.P-044364

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The dominant reprint trap is the 2017 film tie-in edition (a different ISBN, 1-524-72019-4) and tie-in jackets on the Knopf hardcover — a jacket bearing movie imagery or award/blurb banners is later than the first state. Scholastic book-fair and book-club printings of the paperback circulate widely and are not the Knopf hardcover. Because the "FIRST EDITION" statement is retained across printings, a copy sold as "first edition" with no number line quoted should be assumed to be a later printing until the line is seen.P-044365

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Wonder a first edition?

A first edition of Wonder by R. J. Palacio (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books) is identified by: The first printing is identified on the copyright page, which reads "February 2012" followed by the number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" and then "FIRST EDITION"; the same page carries the Library of Congress control number 2011027133 and the Borzoi/Knopf imprint line.

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). US: Alfred A. Knopf, New York, published 14 February 2012 — the true first.

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

The dominant reprint trap is the 2017 film tie-in edition (a different ISBN, 1-524-72019-4) and tie-in jackets on the Knopf hardcover — a jacket bearing movie imagery or award/blurb banners is later than the first state. Scholastic book-fair and book-club printings of the paperback circulate widely and are not the Knopf hardcover.

I have a first edition of Wonder — 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.