# Is "The Luckiest Girl" by Beverly Cleary a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Luckiest Girl by Beverly Cleary (William Morrow, 1958) is identified by: William Morrow first edition dated 1958 on the title page, with no statement of a later printing. US William Morrow (New York) first edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Morrow first edition dated 1958 on the title page, with no statement of a later printing
- Morrow firsts of this period carry the year on the title page and no additional printing line; the first-issue dust jacket carries the original publisher's price printed on the upper corner of the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a first-state jacket
- A young-adult novel
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Beverly Cleary |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | William Morrow first edition dated 1958 on the title page, with no statement of a later printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
William Morrow first edition dated 1958 on the title page, with no statement of a later printing. Morrow firsts of this period carry the year on the title page and no additional printing line; the first-issue dust jacket carries the original publisher's price printed on the upper corner of the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a first-state jacket. A young-adult novel.

## Is this the true first?
US William Morrow (New York) first edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later printings are the common confusion; club copies typically lack the printed jacket price on the front flap and omit first-printing indicators, and some later hardcover states name a different jacket artist.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Luckiest Girl* by Beverly Cleary a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-luckiest-girl
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.