# Is "Ramona Quimby, Age 8" by Beverly Cleary a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary (William Morrow, 1981) is identified by: William Morrow first with a full number line 1-10 on the copyright page and the original printed price on the first-issue pictorial dust jacket. The US Morrow edition is the true first; the first-state jacket predates the Newbery Honor seal, and the presence of Alan Tiegreen's original illustrations confirms an early printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Morrow first with a full number line 1-10 on the copyright page and the original printed price on the first-issue pictorial dust jacket
- Bound in a beige/tan cloth spine over orange pictorial paper-covered boards, stamped in black, with tan endpapers
- Illustrated by Alan Tiegreen, whose art is itself a first-edition point (later reissues were re-illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers and Tracy Dockray)
- A Newbery Honor book for 1982
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Beverly Cleary |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | William Morrow first with a full number line 1-10 on the copyright page and the original printed price on the first-issue pictorial dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
William Morrow first with a full number line 1-10 on the copyright page and the original printed price on the first-issue pictorial dust jacket. Bound in a beige/tan cloth spine over orange pictorial paper-covered boards, stamped in black, with tan endpapers. Illustrated by Alan Tiegreen, whose art is itself a first-edition point (later reissues were re-illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers and Tracy Dockray). A Newbery Honor book for 1982.

## Is this the true first?
The US Morrow edition is the true first; the first-state jacket predates the Newbery Honor seal, and the presence of Alan Tiegreen's original illustrations confirms an early printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions typically lack the printed jacket price and the full number line, and are re-illustrated or reset in later reissues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ramona Quimby, Age 8* by Beverly Cleary a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ramona-quimby-age-8
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.