# Is "The Young Unicorns" by Madeleine L'Engle a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968) is identified by: True first is the Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover octavo with the copyright page dated 1968 and a stated first printing. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover octavo with the copyright page dated 1968 and a stated first printing
- The binding is purple cloth with a red topstain and the spine lettering stamped in silver, over beige endpapers
- The first-issue dust jacket carries art by Ellen Raskin and should retain the printed price on the front flap
- Third book in the Austin Family series
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Madeleine L'Engle |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | True first is the Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover octavo with the copyright page dated 1968 and a stated first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover octavo with the copyright page dated 1968 and a stated first printing. The binding is purple cloth with a red topstain and the spine lettering stamped in silver, over beige endpapers. The first-issue dust jacket carries art by Ellen Raskin and should retain the printed price on the front flap. Third book in the Austin Family series.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club printings are typically issued in an unpriced jacket; an unpriced or price-clipped jacket is a caution flag, not proof of a first, so confirm the purple cloth, silver spine stamping, and red topstain of the trade binding.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Young Unicorns* by Madeleine L'Engle a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-young-unicorns
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.