# Is "Black Light" by Galway Kinnell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Black Light by Galway Kinnell (Houghton Mifflin, 1966) is identified by: First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1966, cloth with dust jacket; dust jacket designed by Leo and Diane Dillon. US Houghton Mifflin, 1966; Kinnell's only novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1966, cloth with dust jacket; dust jacket designed by Leo and Diane Dillon
- Kinnell's only novel
- A revised edition followed in 1980; the 1966 printing is the true first
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Galway Kinnell |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1966, cloth with dust jacket; dust jacket designed by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1966, cloth with dust jacket; dust jacket designed by Leo and Diane Dillon. Kinnell's only novel. A revised edition followed in 1980; the 1966 printing is the true first.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin, 1966; Kinnell's only novel. The 1966 first edition precedes the 1980 revised text.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Black Light* by Galway Kinnell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/black-light
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.