How to Identify a Scholastic (Scholastic Press / Arthur A. Levine Books) First Edition

How to identify a first printing

• Full number line on copyright page; first printing includes/begins effectively with '1' — Scholastic uses interleaved year/printing strings (e.g. '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' followed by year codes). If the printing portion does not reach 1, it is a later printing
• Frequently states the edition: e.g. 'First American edition, October 1998' (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
• Watch for the small 'Printed in the U.S.A. 23' style line; combine the stated edition line with the number line

Notable points & cautions

• Harry Potter US firsts (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) are the marquee modern children's points-of-issue: Sorcerer's Stone true first = full number line with 1 present AND 'First American edition, October 1998' on copyright page
• Scholastic Book Clubs / Scholastic Book Fairs editions are NOT trade firsts — they often carry distinct ISBNs, 'SCHOLASTIC' club markings, no price, and a different printing string; a giant source of confusion for HP and Captain Underpants
• Arthur A. Levine left in 2019 to found Levine Querido (independent, distributed by Chronicle) — post-2019 'Levine' books are a different company

Imprints

First editions also appear under: Arthur A. Levine Books (historical; now Levine Querido, separate), Scholastic Press, Orchard Books (US), Cartwheel Books, Blue Sky Press, Chicken House (distributed), The Blue Sky Press, Graphix, Klutz, Scholastic Inc.. Each generally follows the house convention above.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Scholastic (Scholastic Press / Arthur A. Levine Books) book is a first edition?

Check the copyright page. Full number line on copyright page; first printing includes/begins effectively with '1' — Scholastic uses interleaved year/printing strings (e.g. '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' followed by year codes). If the printing portion does not reach 1, it is a later printing Frequently states the edition: e.g. 'First American edition, October 1998' (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Does Scholastic (Scholastic Press / Arthur A. Levine Books) use a number line?

Frequently states the edition: e.g. 'First American edition, October 1998' (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Is a book-club edition a Scholastic (Scholastic Press / Arthur A. Levine Books) first edition?

No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Harry Potter US firsts (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) are the marquee modern children's points-of-issue: Sorcerer's Stone true first = full number line with 1 present AND 'First American edition, October 1998' on copyright page

What era does this cover?

This covers Scholastic (Scholastic Press / Arthur A. Levine Books) (1920–present (Scholastic Press trade imprint 1990s onward)). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.