# Is "Ilsa" by Madeleine L'Engle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ilsa by Madeleine L'Engle (Vanguard Press, 1946) is identified by: Vanguard Press first, 1946, dated on the title page; roughly 416 pages; first-issue dust jacket (portrait signed 'leslie') bears the original price. US Vanguard Press first edition, issued simultaneously in Canada by Copp Clark; the US Vanguard printing is the recognized first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Vanguard Press first, 1946, dated on the title page; roughly 416 pages; first-issue dust jacket (portrait signed 'leslie') bears the original price
- Adult novel; her scarcest book
- Publisher imprint reads Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Madeleine L'Engle |
| Publisher | Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Vanguard Press first, 1946, dated on the title page; roughly 416 pages; first-issue dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Vanguard Press first, 1946, dated on the title page; roughly 416 pages; first-issue dust jacket (portrait signed 'leslie') bears the original price. Adult novel; her scarcest book.

## Is this the true first?
US Vanguard Press first edition, issued simultaneously in Canada by Copp Clark; the US Vanguard printing is the recognized first. Notoriously hard to find; effectively never reprinted for decades after publication.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No common book-club issue; be wary of ex-library and later scans/facsimiles, which are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ilsa* by Madeleine L'Engle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ilsa
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.