# Is "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Doubleday & Company, 1949) is identified by: First edition 1949, Doubleday (Garden City; imprint may read Junior Books, Doubleday & Company). US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 1949, Doubleday (Garden City; imprint may read Junior Books, Doubleday & Company)
- The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page, per Doubleday's convention in this era
- Author-illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli; blue cloth with silver spine lettering and a front-cover illustration
- First-issue jacket bears no Newbery Medal seal
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Marguerite de Angeli |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 1949, Doubleday (Garden City; imprint may read Junior Books, Doubleday & Company) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition 1949, Doubleday (Garden City; imprint may read Junior Books, Doubleday & Company). The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page, per Doubleday's convention in this era. Author-illustrated by Marguerite de Angeli; blue cloth with silver spine lettering and a front-cover illustration. First-issue jacket bears no Newbery Medal seal.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1950.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Absence of the First Edition statement, or presence of later-printing or book-club marks, indicates a reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Door in the Wall* by Marguerite de Angeli a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-door-in-the-wall
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.