# Is "The Edge of the Sea" by Rachel Carson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson (Houghton Mifflin, 1955) is identified by: First edition, first printing, Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1955; octavo, xii + 276 pages, illustrated in text by Bob Hines. US Houghton Mifflin (Boston) is the true first, the third and final volume of Carson's sea trilogy.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1955; octavo, xii + 276 pages, illustrated in text by Bob Hines
- Bound in blue-green cloth with the spine lettered in dark green and blocked with starfish and mollusc motifs, and a crab motif blocked to the front board; patterned endpapers
- The copyright page reads 'First Printing September 1955'
- Issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its original printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rachel Carson |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1955; octavo, xii + 276 pages, illustrated in text by Bob Hines |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, Houghton Mifflin (Boston), 1955; octavo, xii + 276 pages, illustrated in text by Bob Hines. Bound in blue-green cloth with the spine lettered in dark green and blocked with starfish and mollusc motifs, and a crab motif blocked to the front board; patterned endpapers. The copyright page reads 'First Printing September 1955'. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its original printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin (Boston) is the true first, the third and final volume of Carson's sea trilogy.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later trade printings carry a revised printing statement on the copyright page (second, third, fourth printings and later) in place of 'First Printing September 1955'; book-club and later copies typically lack the printed price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Edge of the Sea* by Rachel Carson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-edge-of-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.