# Is "The Small Rain" by Madeleine L'Engle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Small Rain by Madeleine L'Engle (Vanguard Press, 1945) is identified by: Vanguard Press first, 1945, dated on the title page with no later-printing statement; blue cloth over boards with silver stencil-style spine lettering; first-issue dust jacket bears the original price. US Vanguard Press first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Vanguard Press first, 1945, dated on the title page with no later-printing statement; blue cloth over boards with silver stencil-style spine lettering; first-issue dust jacket bears the original price
- L'Engle's first published novel (adult)
- Publisher imprint reads Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Madeleine L'Engle |
| Publisher | Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Vanguard Press first, 1945, dated on the title page with no later-printing statement… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Vanguard Press first, 1945, dated on the title page with no later-printing statement; blue cloth over boards with silver stencil-style spine lettering; first-issue dust jacket bears the original price. L'Engle's first published novel (adult).

## Is this the true first?
US Vanguard Press first edition. Scarce early title; reissued 1984 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later editions and the 1984 FSG reissue are not the first; book-club and reprint copies lack the original 1945 jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Small Rain* by Madeleine L'Engle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-small-rain
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.