# Is "Fifteen" by Beverly Cleary a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fifteen by Beverly Cleary (William Morrow, 1956) is identified by: Morrow first edition, an octavo of 254 pages, bound in the publisher's pink cloth with black decoration and lettering on the spine and boards. US Morrow first edition, New York, 1956; no earlier or precedent edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Morrow first edition, an octavo of 254 pages, bound in the publisher's pink cloth with black decoration and lettering on the spine and boards
- The title page and copyright page both carry the 1956 date with no statement of a later printing
- The first-issue dust jacket bears the illustration by Beth and Joe Krush and carries the original printed price on the front flap; the price should be present, though a price-clipped example does not by itself indicate a later state
- Cleary's early young-adult romance, scarce in the jacket
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Beverly Cleary |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Morrow first edition, an octavo of 254 pages, bound in the publisher's pink cloth with black decoration and lettering on the spine and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Morrow first edition, an octavo of 254 pages, bound in the publisher's pink cloth with black decoration and lettering on the spine and boards. The title page and copyright page both carry the 1956 date with no statement of a later printing. The first-issue dust jacket bears the illustration by Beth and Joe Krush and carries the original printed price on the front flap; the price should be present, though a price-clipped example does not by itself indicate a later state. Cleary's early young-adult romance, scarce in the jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Morrow first edition, New York, 1956; no earlier or precedent edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club and later Morrow printings lack the original printed jacket price and typically show reprint indications rather than the clean 1956-dated copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fifteen* by Beverly Cleary a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fifteen
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.