# Is "Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow" by Ted Hughes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow by Ted Hughes (Faber and Faber, 1970) is identified by: Faber and Faber (London) first edition, 'first published in 1970' so stated; black cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in a cream dust jacket bearing a Leonard Baskin illustration printed in brick-red and black. The Faber edition (1970) is the UK true first; the US Harper & Row edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber and Faber (London) first edition, 'first published in 1970' so stated; black cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in a cream dust jacket bearing a Leonard Baskin illustration printed in brick-red and black
- The enlarged second edition
- adds seven poems; distinguish by contents and the title-page/copyright statement
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ted Hughes |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Faber and Faber (London) first edition, 'first published in 1970' so stated; black cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in a cream dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Faber and Faber (London) first edition, 'first published in 1970' so stated; black cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in a cream dust jacket bearing a Leonard Baskin illustration printed in brick-red and black. The enlarged second edition (1972) adds seven poems; distinguish by contents and the title-page/copyright statement.

## Is this the true first?
The Faber edition (1970) is the UK true first; the US Harper & Row edition follows. Note the 1970 first versus the enlarged 1972 second edition, which adds seven poems.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The crux is the 1970 first versus the enlarged 1972 second edition, and Faber UK versus Harper US precedence.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow* by Ted Hughes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/crow-from-the-life-and-songs-of-the-crow
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.