How to identify a first printing
- Modern titles (now under Simon & Schuster Children's): first printing carries a number line whose lowest digit is 1 on the copyright page
- 1970s-1980s titles published under Atheneum: identify a first printing by the absence of any later-printing statement (e.g. no 'Second Printing' line), since these predate a consistent number-line practice
Notable points & cautions
- Established 1972 at Atheneum, the first eponymous imprint in American children's publishing (Margaret K. McElderry joined Atheneum in 1971; the imprint was founded the following year)
- Now a Simon & Schuster Children's imprint, following the S&S/Atheneum lineage's conventions
- Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising sequence titles appeared under this imprint (first US edition of The Dark Is Rising, Atheneum, 1973); firsts are identified by the printing statement and jacket rather than a modern number line
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Margaret K. McElderry Books book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Modern titles (now under Simon & Schuster Children's): first printing carries a number line whose lowest digit is 1 on the copyright page 1970s-1980s titles published under Atheneum: identify a first printing by the absence of any later-printing statement (e.g. no 'Second Printing' line), since these predate a consistent number-line practice
Does Margaret K. McElderry Books use a number line?
1970s-1980s titles published under Atheneum: identify a first printing by the absence of any later-printing statement (e.g. no 'Second Printing' line), since these predate a consistent number-line practice
Is a book-club edition a Margaret K. McElderry Books first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Established 1972 at Atheneum, the first eponymous imprint in American children's publishing (Margaret K. McElderry joined Atheneum in 1971; the imprint was founded the following year)
What era does this cover?
This covers Margaret K. McElderry Books (1972-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.