# Is "A Wrinkle in Time (signed/first-printing distinction)" by Madeleine L'Engle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Wrinkle in Time (signed/first-printing distinction) by Madeleine L'Engle (Ariel Books / Farrar, Straus and Cudahy, 1962) is identified by: The true first is the 1962 Ariel Books edition (Ariel was the children's imprint of Farrar, Straus and Cudahy). The US Ariel Books / Farrar, Straus and Cudahy 1962 edition is the true first; the book won the 1963 Newbery Medal.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the 1962 Ariel Books edition (Ariel was the children's imprint of Farrar, Straus and Cudahy)
- The first printing states the 1962 date on the copyright page and is bound in quarter cloth over speckled paper boards
- The defining point is the first-state dust jacket: it carries the original printed price on the front flap and does NOT bear the Newbery Medal seal
- The pictorial jacket was designed by Ellen Raskin
- A second-state jacket on the same first-printing sheets adds the gold Newbery Medal seal (the award came in 1963), so the seal alone marks a jacket as second state, not necessarily a later printing
- Publisher imprint reads Ariel Books / Farrar, Straus and Cudahy
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Madeleine L'Engle |
| Publisher | Ariel Books / Farrar, Straus and Cudahy |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | The true first is the 1962 Ariel Books edition (Ariel was the children's imprint of Farrar, Straus and Cudahy) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the 1962 Ariel Books edition (Ariel was the children's imprint of Farrar, Straus and Cudahy). The first printing states the 1962 date on the copyright page and is bound in quarter cloth over speckled paper boards. The defining point is the first-state dust jacket: it carries the original printed price on the front flap and does NOT bear the Newbery Medal seal. The pictorial jacket was designed by Ellen Raskin. A second-state jacket on the same first-printing sheets adds the gold Newbery Medal seal (the award came in 1963), so the seal alone marks a jacket as second state, not necessarily a later printing.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ariel Books / Farrar, Straus and Cudahy 1962 edition is the true first; the book won the 1963 Newbery Medal. The base title may already be in the index; this entry documents the finer jacket-state and seal points rather than duplicating the title.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions typically lack the printed jacket price, add the Newbery seal, carry a blind-stamp on the rear board, and frequently show the later 'Farrar, Straus & Giroux' imprint rather than the original 'Farrar, Straus and Cudahy.'

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Wrinkle in Time (signed/first-printing distinction)* by Madeleine L'Engle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-wrinkle-in-time-signed-first-printing-distinction
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.