Madeleine L'Engle: The Polly O'Keefe Quartet (LOA #310)

A Wrinkle in Time was only the beginning—now, discover the thrilling adventures of Meg Murry’s daughter, Polly, in this gorgeous deluxe edition of a beloved children’s classic.

Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is one of the most beloved and influential novels for young readers ever written, a thrilling tale in which fourteen-year-old Meg Murry and her schoolmate Calvin O’Keefe use a tesseract to travel across space and time to save Meg’s scientist father from dire forces threatening the universe. But A Wrinkle in Time was only the beginning of the adventure. Now, for the first time, L’Engle’s iconic classic and all seven of its sequels—the complete Kairos (“cosmic time”) novels—are collected in a deluxe two-volume Library of America edition, together with never-seen-before deleted passages and hard-to-find essays in which L’Engle reflects on her work.

This second volume gathers the final four Kairos novels, in which Meg and Calvin’s daughter Polly takes center stage. In The Arm of the Starfish, Polly disappears, and Calvin’s research assistant is implicated in her kidnapping. In Dragons in the Waters, Polly and her brother Charles are on a steamer bound for Venezuela when they help solve a murder connected to a stolen portrait of Simon Bolivar. Polly receives an education in different kinds of love in A House Like a Lotus. And in An Acceptable Time, Polly is lured through a tesseract by a friend who may be hoping to sacrifice Polly in order to save himself.

A companion volume gathers the first four Kairos Novels, the Wrinkle in Time quartet, which also includes A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Many Waters.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.

Standard and Primary covers are widely available through general retailers. They often have higher print runs and can be cheaper, especially during sales.

In contrast, Direct Market (DM) and variant covers are primarily sold in comic shops. DM editions tend to have more limited availability and may be more valuable to collectors.

The main differences lie in artwork style, availability, price, and collector appeal. Ultimately, the choice between standard and variant covers depends on personal preference, budget, and individual collecting goals.

Comic book enthusiasts have various formats to choose from when collecting their favorite stories.
Here's a brief overview of the main types:

Omnibus

• Large, hardcover collections
• Usually contain complete runs or extensive story arcs
• Typically 800-1000+ pages
• Higher price point, often €100-€150

Oversized Hardcover (OHC)

• Similar dimensions to omnibus, but thinner
• Collect shorter runs or story arcs
• Usually 300-600 pages
• Priced between €30-€50

Hardcover (HC)

• Standard-sized hardcover books
• Collect 6-12 issues typically
• Similar dimensions to single issues, but with a hard cover
• Priced around €25-€35

Trade Paperback (TP)

• Softcover collections
• Standard comic book size
• Usually collect 4-6 issues
• Most affordable option, typically €15-€25

Other Formats

• Absolute Editions: Oversized, deluxe hardcovers (mainly DC Comics)
• Compendiums: Massive paperback collections
• Graphic Novels (OGN/GN): Original stories not previously released as single issues

The choice between these formats often depends on personal preference, budget, and collecting goals. Omnibus and OHC editions offer larger artwork and more content but at a higher price, while TPs provide a more affordable way to collect complete story arcs