Make Way for Ducklings

US Viking is the true first; there is no competing earlier edition. Two tells mark the first issue: (1) the copyright page limited to 'First published August 1941' with no later-printing line, and (2) the pre-Medal jacket (no Caldecott Medal, price present at the flap). Because wartime reprints use similar tan cloth, identification hinges on the copyright statement and the medal-free jacket rather than the binding.