# Is "Collected Poems" by Robert Frost a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Collected Poems by Robert Frost (Henry Holt, 1930) is identified by: Won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize. The Random House signed limited edition of 1,000 copies is the true first and precedes the Henry Holt first trade edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize
- The signed limited edition of 1,000 copies was published by Random House, signed by Frost on the half-title and hand-numbered on the limitation leaf, and preceded the Holt trade edition by roughly four weeks; it was printed on heavy laid paper in tan linen boards with a leather spine label
- The Henry Holt first trade edition
- was printed from the same Random House plates; its first state carries the uncorrected reading 'laces' for 'faces' at page 128, line 8, corrected in later printings
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Frost |
| Publisher | Henry Holt |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 1931 Pulitzer Prize. The signed limited edition of 1,000 copies was published by Random House, signed by Frost on the half-title and hand-numbered on the limitation leaf, and preceded the Holt trade edition by roughly four weeks; it was printed on heavy laid paper in tan linen boards with a leather spine label. The Henry Holt first trade edition (1930) was printed from the same Random House plates; its first state carries the uncorrected reading 'laces' for 'faces' at page 128, line 8, corrected in later printings.

## Is this the true first?
The Random House signed limited edition of 1,000 copies is the true first and precedes the Henry Holt first trade edition. The record's earlier attribution of the limited edition to Holt was incorrect; Holt issued the trade edition only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The later 'Complete Poems' (1949) is a separate, later book and should not be confused with this collection.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Collected Poems* by Robert Frost a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/collected-poems-robert-frost
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.