# Is "The Second Mrs. Giaconda" by E.L. Konigsburg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Second Mrs. Giaconda by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum, 1975) is identified by: Atheneum first edition, New York, 1975, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Atheneum identified its firsts by that statement rather than a number line) and a priced first-issue dust jacket whose printed price should be present at the flap. The US Atheneum edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum first edition, New York, 1975, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Atheneum identified its firsts by that statement rather than a number line) and a priced first-issue dust jacket whose printed price should be present at the flap
- Manufactured by Halliday Lithograph Corporation and illustrated with ten black-and-white museum plates of Leonardo paintings and drawings, several of which figure in the story
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E.L. Konigsburg |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Atheneum first edition, New York, 1975, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Atheneum identified its firsts by that statement… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Atheneum first edition, New York, 1975, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page (Atheneum identified its firsts by that statement rather than a number line) and a priced first-issue dust jacket whose printed price should be present at the flap. Manufactured by Halliday Lithograph Corporation and illustrated with ten black-and-white museum plates of Leonardo paintings and drawings, several of which figure in the story.

## Is this the true first?
The US Atheneum edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings lack the dust-jacket price, typically omit the stated 'First Edition' line, and are on lighter, thinner boards than the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Second Mrs. Giaconda* by E.L. Konigsburg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-second-mrs-giaconda
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.