# Is "Thimble Summer" by Elizabeth Enright a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright (Farrar & Rinehart, 1938) is identified by: First edition 1938, Farrar & Rinehart (NY). US true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition 1938, Farrar & Rinehart (NY)
- The first printing carries the same 1938 date on the title page and copyright page with no later-printing line
- A useful issue test is the author's list of works: very early copies list only 'Kintu' and 'Thimble Summer'; later printings add titles such as 'The Sea Is All Around'
- and 'The Saturdays'
- Author-illustrated; blue cloth
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar & Rinehart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Elizabeth Enright |
| Publisher | Farrar & Rinehart |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First edition 1938, Farrar & Rinehart (NY) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition 1938, Farrar & Rinehart (NY). The first printing carries the same 1938 date on the title page and copyright page with no later-printing line. A useful issue test is the author's list of works: very early copies list only 'Kintu' and 'Thimble Summer'; later printings add titles such as 'The Sea Is All Around' (1940) and 'The Saturdays' (1941). Author-illustrated; blue cloth.

## Is this the true first?
US true first. Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1939. Imprint matters: later reprints appear under Rinehart & Company and Holt.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints under later imprints (Rinehart & Company, Holt) and the appearance of post-1938 titles in the author's-works list indicate a later printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Thimble Summer* by Elizabeth Enright a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/thimble-summer
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.