# Is "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" by Madeleine L'Engle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1978) is identified by: True first is the FSG hardcover with a stated first printing on the copyright page (FSG stated its printings in words in this era rather than using a number line), bound in black cloth with green endpapers, in the first-issue priced dust jacket. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the FSG hardcover with a stated first printing on the copyright page (FSG stated its printings in words in this era rather than using a number line), bound in black cloth with green endpapers, in the first-issue priced dust jacket
- Third book of the Time Quintet
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Madeleine L'Engle |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first is the FSG hardcover with a stated first printing on the copyright page (FSG… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the FSG hardcover with a stated first printing on the copyright page (FSG stated its printings in words in this era rather than using a number line), bound in black cloth with green endpapers, in the first-issue priced dust jacket. Third book of the Time Quintet.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club printings are usually unpriced on the jacket; an unpriced or price-clipped jacket is a caution flag.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Swiftly Tilting Planet* by Madeleine L'Engle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-swiftly-tilting-planet
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.