# Is "The Dark Is Rising" by Susan Cooper (illus. Alan E. Cober) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (illus. Alan E. Cober) (Atheneum, 1973) is identified by: US Atheneum first printing dated 1973 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Alan E. The Atheneum US 1973 edition is generally taken by collectors as the true first; the Chatto & Windus UK edition also appeared in 1973, so exact month priority is not firmly established, but the US issue carries the collector consensus as the first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Atheneum first printing dated 1973 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Alan E. Cober, and a first-state jacket without the Newbery Honor seal and retaining the original price
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Susan Cooper (illus. Alan E. Cober) |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | US Atheneum first printing dated 1973 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Alan E. Cober, and a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Atheneum first printing dated 1973 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Alan E. Cober, and a first-state jacket without the Newbery Honor seal and retaining the original price.

## Is this the true first?
The Atheneum US 1973 edition is generally taken by collectors as the true first; the Chatto & Windus UK edition also appeared in 1973, so exact month priority is not firmly established, but the US issue carries the collector consensus as the first. This is the second book of the Dark Is Rising sequence and a 1974 Newbery Honor book.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprint jackets add the Newbery Honor seal and may state a later printing. Book-club copies carry a blind-stamp to the rear board and lack the original price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dark Is Rising* by Susan Cooper (illus. Alan E. Cober) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dark-is-rising
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.