diff --git a/bookwyrm/templates/book/edit_book.html b/bookwyrm/templates/book/edit_book.html
index 15202d807..963b2b75f 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/templates/book/edit_book.html
+++ b/bookwyrm/templates/book/edit_book.html
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
 
                 <p class="mb-2">
                     <label class="label" for="id_first_published_date">{% trans "First published date:" %}</label>
-                    <input type="date" name="first_published_date" class="input" id="id_first_published_date"{% if book.first_published_date %} value="{{ book.first_published_date|date:'Y-m-d' }}"{% endif %}>
+                    <input type="date" name="first_published_date" class="input" id="id_first_published_date"{% if form.first_published_date.value %} value="{{ form.first_published_date.value|date:'Y-m-d' }}"{% endif %}>
                 </p>
                 {% for error in form.first_published_date.errors %}
                 <p class="help is-danger">{{ error | escape }}</p>
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@
 
                 <p class="mb-2">
                     <label class="label" for="id_published_date">{% trans "Published date:" %}</label>
-                    <input type="date" name="published_date" class="input" id="id_published_date"{% if book.published_date %} value="{{ book.published_date|date:'Y-m-d' }}"{% endif %}>
+                    <input type="date" name="published_date" class="input" id="id_published_date"{% if form.published_date.value %} value="{{ form.published_date.value|date:'Y-m-d'}}"{% endif %}>
                 </p>
                 {% for error in form.published_date.errors %}
                 <p class="help is-danger">{{ error | escape }}</p>
diff --git a/bookwyrm/views/books.py b/bookwyrm/views/books.py
index 58886cade..b1b2d0656 100644
--- a/bookwyrm/views/books.py
+++ b/bookwyrm/views/books.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 """ the good stuff! the books! """
+from datetime import datetime
 from uuid import uuid4
 
+from dateutil.parser import parse as dateparse
 from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required, permission_required
 from django.contrib.postgres.search import SearchRank, SearchVector
 from django.core.files.base import ContentFile
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ from django.db.models import Avg, Q
 from django.http import HttpResponseBadRequest, HttpResponseNotFound
 from django.shortcuts import get_object_or_404, redirect
 from django.template.response import TemplateResponse
+from django.utils.datastructures import MultiValueDictKeyError
 from django.utils.decorators import method_decorator
 from django.views import View
 from django.views.decorators.http import require_POST
@@ -172,6 +175,20 @@ class EditBook(View):
             data["confirm_mode"] = True
             # this isn't preserved because it isn't part of the form obj
             data["remove_authors"] = request.POST.getlist("remove_authors")
+            # we have to make sure the dates are passed in as datetime, they're currently a string
+            # QueryDicts are immutable, we need to copy
+            formcopy = data["form"].data.copy()
+            try:
+                formcopy["first_published_date"] = dateparse(
+                    formcopy["first_published_date"]
+                )
+            except MultiValueDictKeyError:
+                pass
+            try:
+                formcopy["published_date"] = dateparse(formcopy["published_date"])
+            except MultiValueDictKeyError:
+                pass
+            data["form"].data = formcopy
             return TemplateResponse(request, "book/edit_book.html", data)
 
         remove_authors = request.POST.getlist("remove_authors")