# Is "A Touch of the Poet" by Eugene O'Neill a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Touch of the Poet by Eugene O'Neill (Yale University Press, 1957) is identified by: Yale University Press, New Haven, 1957 (posthumous), stated as first edition. The US Yale edition is the standard-cited first, published as a stated first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Yale University Press, New Haven, 1957 (posthumous), stated as first edition
- Bound in green cloth, the boards stamped in gilt on the front and spine
- The white pictorial dust jacket was designed by Burt Jackson and should carry its original printed price on the front flap
- In the standard Atkinson bibliography of O'Neill (reference A44), the earliest binding state 'a' is distinguished by the absence of a small clover stamp; copies with the clover represent a later binding
- Publisher imprint reads Yale University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eugene O'Neill |
| Publisher | Yale University Press |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Yale University Press, New Haven, 1957 (posthumous), stated as first edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Yale University Press, New Haven, 1957 (posthumous), stated as first edition. Bound in green cloth, the boards stamped in gilt on the front and spine. The white pictorial dust jacket was designed by Burt Jackson and should carry its original printed price on the front flap. In the standard Atkinson bibliography of O'Neill (reference A44), the earliest binding state 'a' is distinguished by the absence of a small clover stamp; copies with the clover represent a later binding.

## Is this the true first?
The US Yale edition is the standard-cited first, published as a stated first edition. Jonathan Cape published a London edition the same year (1957) in blue cloth with silver spine lettering; the two are distinguished by imprint and binding rather than a clear priority.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club of note. Confirm the Yale imprint, the green gilt-stamped cloth, and Atkinson binding state 'a' (no clover stamp), with the priced Burt Jackson jacket present.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Touch of the Poet* by Eugene O'Neill a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-touch-of-the-poet
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.