# Is "The Tombs of Atuan" by Ursula K. Le Guin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (Atheneum, 1971) is identified by: The US Atheneum first carries 'Atheneum 1971 New York' on the title page and a publisher's date-cancel label mounted over the printed copyright statement; illustrated by Gail Garraty; first-issue jacket priced and unclipped with no later silver award sticker. The US Atheneum (1971) is the true first; the UK Gollancz (1972) is the UK first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Atheneum first carries 'Atheneum 1971 New York' on the title page and a publisher's date-cancel label mounted over the printed copyright statement; illustrated by Gail Garraty; first-issue jacket priced and unclipped with no later silver award sticker
- Earthsea Book 2
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Atheneum first carries 'Atheneum 1971 New York' on the title page and a publisher's date-cancel label mounted over the printed… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US Atheneum first carries 'Atheneum 1971 New York' on the title page and a publisher's date-cancel label mounted over the printed copyright statement; illustrated by Gail Garraty; first-issue jacket priced and unclipped with no later silver award sticker. Earthsea Book 2.

## Is this the true first?
The US Atheneum (1971) is the true first; the UK Gollancz (1972) is the UK first. The reliable points are the title-page imprint, the date-cancel copyright label, and the first-state priced jacket — not a printed 'First Edition' slug.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Weekly Reader and other juvenile book-club editions lack the title-page imprint and date-cancel label, use pictorial laminated boards rather than a jacket, and omit the price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Tombs of Atuan* by Ursula K. Le Guin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-tombs-of-atuan
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.