# Is "Body Rags" by Galway Kinnell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Body Rags by Galway Kinnell (Houghton Mifflin, 1968) is identified by: First edition, Houghton Mifflin, cloth with dust jacket. US Houghton Mifflin (1968) precedes the Rapp & Whiting (London) UK edition of 1969.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Houghton Mifflin, cloth with dust jacket
- Contains 'The Bear' and 'The Porcupine.' Identified by the absence of any later-printing statement, per Houghton Mifflin convention of the period
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Galway Kinnell |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Houghton Mifflin, cloth with dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Houghton Mifflin, cloth with dust jacket. Contains 'The Bear' and 'The Porcupine.' Identified by the absence of any later-printing statement, per Houghton Mifflin convention of the period.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin (1968) precedes the Rapp & Whiting (London) UK edition of 1969.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Body Rags* by Galway Kinnell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/body-rags
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.