# Is "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Pantheon Books, 1955) is identified by: First edition in half blue cloth over pictorial paper-covered boards decorated with sea shells, 127 pages. US Pantheon Books (New York), May 1955, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in half blue cloth over pictorial paper-covered boards decorated with sea shells, 127 pages
- Pantheon used no First Edition designation at this date, so the true first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings are explicitly marked (for example Fifth Printing with a date)
- First-issue dust jacket carries the original price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Pantheon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anne Morrow Lindbergh |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in half blue cloth over pictorial paper-covered boards decorated with sea shells, 127 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition in half blue cloth over pictorial paper-covered boards decorated with sea shells, 127 pages. Pantheon used no First Edition designation at this date, so the true first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings are explicitly marked (for example Fifth Printing with a date). First-issue dust jacket carries the original price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Pantheon Books (New York), May 1955, is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A heavily printed bestseller. The first printing must lack any printing statement; the presence of any numbered or dated printing notice indicates a later impression. Book-club issues lack the jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gift from the Sea* by Anne Morrow Lindbergh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gift-from-the-sea
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.