# Is "77 Dream Songs" by John Berryman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of 77 Dream Songs by John Berryman (Farrar, Straus and Company, 1964) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Company first edition, first printing; blue cloth boards with gilt spine lettering, dust jacket designed by Marshall Lee. US true first and Pulitzer winner; precedes the UK Faber and Faber edition (also 1964).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Company first edition, first printing; blue cloth boards with gilt spine lettering, dust jacket designed by Marshall Lee
- First printing imprint reads 'Farrar, Straus and Company' and the publisher address lacks a zip code; later printings show 'Farrar, Straus and Giroux.' Won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- The first installment of The Dream Songs
- Stefanik reference A11.1.a
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Berryman |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Company |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Company first edition, first printing; blue cloth boards with gilt spine lettering, dust jacket designed by Marshall Lee |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Company first edition, first printing; blue cloth boards with gilt spine lettering, dust jacket designed by Marshall Lee. First printing imprint reads 'Farrar, Straus and Company' and the publisher address lacks a zip code; later printings show 'Farrar, Straus and Giroux.' Won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The first installment of The Dream Songs. Stefanik reference A11.1.a.

## Is this the true first?
US true first and Pulitzer winner; precedes the UK Faber and Faber edition (also 1964). Berryman's signature work.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; first printing identified by the 'Farrar, Straus and Company' imprint and the absence of a zip code in the publisher address.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *77 Dream Songs* by John Berryman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/77-dream-songs
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.