# Is "A Masque of Mercy" by Robert Frost a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Masque of Mercy by Robert Frost (Henry Holt, 1947) is identified by: Issued in 1947 as a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered copies, printed at the Spiral Press, in blue cloth-backed boards with publisher's slipcase. US Henry Holt is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in 1947 as a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered copies, printed at the Spiral Press, in blue cloth-backed boards with publisher's slipcase
- The signed limited is the premium; the trade first printing carries no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Frost |
| Publisher | Henry Holt |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in 1947 as a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued in 1947 as a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered copies, printed at the Spiral Press, in blue cloth-backed boards with publisher's slipcase. The signed limited is the premium; the trade first printing carries no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt is the true first. The 751-copy signed limited is the premium issue. The second of Frost's two blank-verse masques, following A Masque of Reason.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition relevant to the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Masque of Mercy* by Robert Frost a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-masque-of-mercy
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.