# Is "Big Tree" by Brian Selznick a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Big Tree by Brian Selznick (Scholastic Press, 2023) is identified by: First Scholastic Press printing, published April 4, 2023, with the copyright-page number line running down to 1 and a first-edition statement dated 2023. US Scholastic Press is the true first (2023).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Scholastic Press printing, published April 4, 2023, with the copyright-page number line running down to 1 and a first-edition statement dated 2023
- An illustrated novel of roughly 528 pages carrying nearly 300 pages of Selznick's graphite illustrations, so the first-state jacket and the illustrated boards/plates should be intact and unclipped, with the printed retail price present on the jacket flap
- Publisher imprint reads Scholastic Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Brian Selznick |
| Publisher | Scholastic Press |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First Scholastic Press printing, published April 4, 2023, with the copyright-page number line running down to 1 and a first-edition… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First Scholastic Press printing, published April 4, 2023, with the copyright-page number line running down to 1 and a first-edition statement dated 2023. An illustrated novel of roughly 528 pages carrying nearly 300 pages of Selznick's graphite illustrations, so the first-state jacket and the illustrated boards/plates should be intact and unclipped, with the printed retail price present on the jacket flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Scholastic Press is the true first (2023). Recent title with conventional identification points; confirm the stated first edition and the number line running to 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line; there is also a separately packaged edition (ISBN 9781339036700) associated with the Meryl Streep audio tie-in, which is not the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Big Tree* by Brian Selznick a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/big-tree
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.