Aladdin
Aladdin is Simon & Schuster's children's paperback imprint, started at Atheneum by Jean E. Karl in 1967 and home to Dork Diaries and many reprints of hardback favourites.
- Editions tracked
- 48
- First editions
- 38
- Books
- 47
- Years
- 1950 to 2021
Aladdin is a publisher active from 1950. We track 48 editions it published between 1950 and 2021, 38 of them first editions across 47 books. Each book lists its first edition and the points that identify it.
About Aladdin
Aladdin is a children's paperback imprint of Simon & Schuster, founded on 5 March 1967 by the editor Jean E. Karl and aimed at readers aged about 4 to 12.
Karl started Aladdin while running the children's department at Atheneum, whose founder Alfred A. Knopf Jr. had recruited her in 1961 to build its young readers' list. She led Atheneum's children's books, Aladdin and Argo until she retired in 1985. Atheneum passed to Scribner's in 1978 and to Macmillan in 1984, and Simon & Schuster took over the imprint in 1994. Simon & Schuster itself was sold by Paramount Global to the investment firm KKR in a deal that closed on 30 October 2023.
Most Aladdin books are paperback reprints of titles first issued in hardback by other imprints, though it also publishes a limited number of originals. Its list includes Tomie dePaola's Strega Nona, James Howe's Bunnicula books, Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge series, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Shiloh trilogy, D. J. MacHale's Pendragon series and Rachel Renée Russell's Dork Diaries (from 2009). Its best-known titles are the later Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.
Aladdin sits alongside Atheneum, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and other imprints in the Simon & Schuster children's division.
We have not yet written the guide to Aladdin's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Aladdin marked its firsts? Tell us.
Authors
Published by Aladdin
Frequently asked questions
How many Aladdin books does MyVolumes track?
We track 48 editions published by Aladdin, 38 of them first editions, across 47 books.
Where these facts come from
- Aladdin Paperbacks, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Jean E. Karl, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Simon & Schuster, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.