# Is "Collected Poems 1947-1980" by Allen Ginsberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Collected Poems 1947-1980 by Allen Ginsberg (Harper & Row, 1984) is identified by: Cloth in dust jacket; the trade first states 'FIRST EDITION' with a full number line ending in 1. Trade first is the 1984 Harper & Row hardcover; the signed limited is the premium issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth in dust jacket; the trade first states 'FIRST EDITION' with a full number line ending in 1
- A signed, numbered, slipcased limited edition was also issued
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Allen Ginsberg |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth in dust jacket; the trade first states 'FIRST EDITION' with a full number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth in dust jacket; the trade first states 'FIRST EDITION' with a full number line ending in 1. A signed, numbered, slipcased limited edition was also issued.

## Is this the true first?
Trade first is the 1984 Harper & Row hardcover; the signed limited is the premium issue. A first Perennial Library paperback edition exists but is subordinate to the hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; later printings and the paperback lack the hardcover first-edition statement and full number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Collected Poems 1947-1980* by Allen Ginsberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/collected-poems-1947-1980
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.