# Is "Oh Say Can You Say?" by Dr. Seuss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Oh Say Can You Say? by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1979) is identified by: Issued as a large octavo in pink glazed pictorial laminated boards WITHOUT a dust jacket, as issued. US first, Random House Beginner Books, New York, 1979.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued as a large octavo in pink glazed pictorial laminated boards WITHOUT a dust jacket, as issued
- Identify the first printing by the complete number line 1234567890 on the copyright page, with the 1 present
- The pictorial boards carry the subtitle wording "Oh my brothers! Oh my sisters! These are Terrible Tongue Twisters!"
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dr. Seuss |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Issued as a large octavo in pink glazed pictorial laminated boards WITHOUT a dust jacket, as issued |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Issued as a large octavo in pink glazed pictorial laminated boards WITHOUT a dust jacket, as issued. Identify the first printing by the complete number line 1234567890 on the copyright page, with the 1 present. The pictorial boards carry the subtitle wording "Oh my brothers! Oh my sisters! These are Terrible Tongue Twisters!"

## Is this the true first?
US first, Random House Beginner Books, New York, 1979.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not issued with a dust jacket, so jacket price is not a point. Later printings show an advanced number line with the lowest number(s) removed from the 1234567890 sequence.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Oh Say Can You Say?* by Dr. Seuss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/oh-say-can-you-say
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.