How to Identify a HarperCollins Children's Books (formerly Harper & Row Junior Books / Harper & Brothers) First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Modern (post-1990 HarperCollins, and Harper & Row from c.1975): stated 'First Edition' on copyright page PLUS a full descending number line ending in 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
• CRITICAL QUIRK: Harper repeatedly FAILED to remove the 'First Edition' statement from later printings — the NUMBER LINE is the authoritative signal, not the words. A book stating 'First Edition' but with a number line that does not reach 1 is a LATER printing
• 1922–1949 (Harper & Brothers): two-letter date code on copyright page — first letter = month (A=Jan ... excluding J; K=Oct, L=Nov, M=Dec), second letter = year (M=1922-cycle). 'First Edition' also stated from 1922 but code is the precise tell
• Greenwillow (founded 1974 by Susan Hirschman): follows Harper house style — stated 'First Edition' + number line to 1

Notable points & cautions

• Home of the most-collected picture books: Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are, Harper & Row 1963), Shel Silverstein, Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon), Crockett Johnson, Garth Williams — verify via number line because 'First Edition' carry-over is rampant
• Harper & Brothers → Harper & Row in 1962 → HarperCollins in 1990; ID conventions carried through with the same 'forgot to delete First Edition' habit
• Book-club editions (Weekly Reader, Junior Literary Guild) of Harper picture books are common: smaller trim, cheaper paper, no price on jacket flap, often a blind stamp on lower-right rear board

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Greenwillow Books, Katherine Tegen Books, Balzer + Bray, Harper, Joanna Cotler Books, Laura Geringer Books, Amistad (children's), Walden Pond Press, HarperFestival, Harper & Row Junior Books (historical), Ursula Nordstrom Books (historical). Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my HarperCollins Children's Books (formerly Harper & Row Junior Books / Harper & Brothers) book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Modern (post-1990 HarperCollins, and Harper & Row from c.1975): stated 'First Edition' on copyright page PLUS a full descending number line ending in 1 (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) CRITICAL QUIRK: Harper repeatedly FAILED to remove the 'First Edition' statement from later printings — the NUMBER LINE is the authoritative signal, not the words. A book stating 'First Edition' but with a number line that does not reach 1 is a LATER printing

Does HarperCollins Children's Books (formerly Harper & Row Junior Books / Harper & Brothers) use a number line?

CRITICAL QUIRK: Harper repeatedly FAILED to remove the 'First Edition' statement from later printings — the NUMBER LINE is the authoritative signal, not the words. A book stating 'First Edition' but with a number line that does not reach 1 is a LATER printing

Is a book-club edition a HarperCollins Children's Books (formerly Harper & Row Junior Books / Harper & Brothers) first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Home of the most-collected picture books: Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are, Harper & Row 1963), Shel Silverstein, Margaret Wise Brown (Goodnight Moon), Crockett Johnson, Garth Williams — verify via number line because 'First Edition' carry-over is rampant

What era does this cover?

This covers HarperCollins Children's Books (formerly Harper & Row Junior Books / Harper & Brothers) (1817–present (date-code era 1912–1949; stated-First-Edition + number-line era 1949–present)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.