# Is "Babel to Byzantium: Poets & Poetry Now" by James Dickey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Babel to Byzantium: Poets & Poetry Now by James Dickey (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1968) is identified by: 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page; bound in blue cloth-covered boards with the spine lettered in gilt and silver, issued in a price-printed dust jacket with the price present (unclipped) on the front flap. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition, first printing, is the true first; a first-thus gathering of Dickey's essays and criticism.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collected criticism. 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page; bound in blue cloth-covered boards with the spine lettered in gilt and silver, issued in a price-printed dust jacket with the price present (unclipped) on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Dickey |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collected criticism. 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page; bound in blue cloth-covered boards with the spine lettered in gilt and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Collected criticism. 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page; bound in blue cloth-covered boards with the spine lettered in gilt and silver, issued in a price-printed dust jacket with the price present (unclipped) on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition, first printing, is the true first; a first-thus gathering of Dickey's essays and criticism.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions revise the copyright-page printing statement away from 'First Printing'; no separate book-club issue confirmed.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Babel to Byzantium: Poets & Poetry Now* by James Dickey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/babel-to-byzantium-poets-poetry-now
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.