# Is "Be With" by Forrest Gander a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Be With by Forrest Gander (New Directions, 2018) is identified by: First edition, a paperback original published by New Directions in 2018 (ISBN 9780811226059), 80 pages. US New Directions (2018) is the true first edition; issued directly in wrappers with no earlier hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, a paperback original published by New Directions in 2018 (ISBN 9780811226059), 80 pages
- As a New Directions poetry paperback original there is no precedent hardcover trade issue; the first printing should show no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Forrest Gander |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | First edition, a paperback original published by New Directions in 2018 (ISBN 9780811226059), 80 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, a paperback original published by New Directions in 2018 (ISBN 9780811226059), 80 pages. As a New Directions poetry paperback original there is no precedent hardcover trade issue; the first printing should show no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

## Is this the true first?
US New Directions (2018) is the true first edition; issued directly in wrappers with no earlier hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Be With* by Forrest Gander a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/be-with
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.