# Is "The Wide Window (ASOUE 3)" by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Wide Window (ASOUE 3) by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) (HarperCollins, 2000) is identified by: US HarperCollins first printing carries the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page, with 'First Edition' stated. US HarperCollins (New York) is the true first, published February 25, 2000.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US HarperCollins first printing carries the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page, with 'First Edition' stated
- This ascending form is characteristic of the earliest volumes of the series (Books 1 through 3); the later volumes shifted to a different key
- The book is issued in glazed paper-over-board pictorial boards without a dust jacket as issued, so a jacketed copy is not the norm for the trade first
- Brett Helquist supplies the cover art and the black-and-white interior illustrations
- Published February 25, 2000
- 214 pages
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | US HarperCollins first printing carries the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page, with 'First Edition'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US HarperCollins first printing carries the full ascending number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10' on the copyright page, with 'First Edition' stated. This ascending form is characteristic of the earliest volumes of the series (Books 1 through 3); the later volumes shifted to a different key. The book is issued in glazed paper-over-board pictorial boards without a dust jacket as issued, so a jacketed copy is not the norm for the trade first. Brett Helquist supplies the cover art and the black-and-white interior illustrations. Published February 25, 2000; 214 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US HarperCollins (New York) is the true first, published February 25, 2000. As Book 3 in the series, its first printing follows the same ascending number-line convention as Books 1 and 2.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no separate jacket to clip, so identification rests on the number line: later printings advance the line as the low numbers drop away. Issued in pictorial boards without a dust jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Wide Window (ASOUE 3)* by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-wide-window-asoue-3
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.