# Is "The Grey King" by Susan Cooper (illus. Michael Heslop) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Grey King by Susan Cooper (illus. Michael Heslop) (Atheneum, 1975) is identified by: US Atheneum first printing dated 1975 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Michael Heslop, and a first-state jacket without the Newbery Medal seal retaining the original price to the front flap. The Atheneum US edition was published in September 1975, preceding the Chatto & Windus UK edition of October 1975, making the US issue the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Atheneum first printing dated 1975 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Michael Heslop, and a first-state jacket without the Newbery Medal seal retaining the original price to the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Susan Cooper (illus. Michael Heslop) |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | US Atheneum first printing dated 1975 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Michael Heslop, and a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Atheneum first printing dated 1975 on the copyright page with no later-printing statement, illustrations by Michael Heslop, and a first-state jacket without the Newbery Medal seal retaining the original price to the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The Atheneum US edition was published in September 1975, preceding the Chatto & Windus UK edition of October 1975, making the US issue the true first. Fourth book in the Dark Is Rising sequence and winner of the 1976 Newbery Medal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprint jackets add the gold Newbery Medal seal. Book-club copies carry a blind-stamp and lack the original price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Grey King* by Susan Cooper (illus. Michael Heslop) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-grey-king
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.