A first US edition, first printing of the softcover of �The Dark Is Rising� by Susan Cooper, published by Atheneum in 1973, with illustrations by Alan E. Cober. A very good book with very slight rubbing to the covers. SIGNED and inscribed �to Alexia/best wishes/Susan Cooper�. Rare The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper is a fantasy novel about Will Stanton, a boy who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is one of the Old Ones, a group of ancient beings dedicated to fighting the Dark. As the Dark rises to power, Will must gather the six Signs, magical objects that will help him defeat the Dark. Set in a richly woven world of mythology and legend, the story is a battle between good and evil.