Is My Collected Poems 1957-1982 a First Edition?

The points of issue

• North Point Press (San Francisco) first printing, 1985, cited in the Freedman bibliography as A52b
• Issued simultaneously in two forms: a cloth hardcover (maroon cloth boards, gilt lettering to the spine) in a dust jacket, and a trade-paperback wrappers issue
• 268 pages, measuring roughly 5 the printed price by 8 the printed price inches
• North Point did not use a number line on this title, so first-printing status rests on the North Point imprint, the 1985 copyright, and the absence of any later-printing statement
• On the cloth issue the first-state dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (a price-clipped flap does not by itself unmake a first)

How North Point Press marked a first edition

• Independent era (first books fall 1980 through ~1991): look for a stated 'First edition' or 'First printing' on the copyright page; many titles also carry a descending number line where the lowest digit present indicates…

Full North Point Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

First edition of this compilation (first thus). Nearly two hundred poems selected from the eight earlier collections, some retitled, abridged, or lightly revised; not a first appearance of the individual poems.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition was issued. North Point printed both the maroon cloth-in-jacket hardcover and a wrappers issue in 1985; the cloth-in-jacket copy is the preferred collectible form. Later printings and the subsequent Counterpoint reissue are reprints, not the North Point first.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Collected Poems 1957-1982 a first edition?

A first edition of Collected Poems 1957-1982 by Wendell Berry (North Point Press) is identified by: North Point Press (San Francisco) first printing, 1985, cited in the Freedman bibliography as A52b.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). First edition of this compilation (first thus).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition was issued. North Point printed both the maroon cloth-in-jacket hardcover and a wrappers issue in 1985; the cloth-in-jacket copy is the preferred collectible form. Later printings and the subsequent Counterpoint reissue are reprints, not the North Point first.

I have a first edition of Collected Poems 1957-1982 — what should I do?

If you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than lost. To sell, see the author’s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.