# Is "Door into the Dark" by Seamus Heaney a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Door into the Dark by Seamus Heaney (Faber & Faber, London, 1969) is identified by: First edition, first impression: octavo, 56 pp., in the publisher's black cloth/linen lettered in gilt at the spine, in the dust jacket printed in red, green and white; the jacket should be unclipped with the price present at the flap. Faber & Faber (London), 1969 is the true first, confirming the census claim; the Oxford University Press (New York) 1969 issue is the first American edition and follows it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression: octavo, 56 pp., in the publisher's black cloth/linen lettered in gilt at the spine, in the dust jacket printed in red, green and white; the jacket should be unclipped with the price present at the flap
- Brandes & Durkan A5
- Copies as issued frequently have the Poetry Book Society Bulletin for Summer 1969 — carrying Heaney's own introductory remarks on the collection — loosely inserted; it is a desirable association but not a definitive point, since a loose insert is easily lost and just as easily added
- Any copy whose copyright page carries an impression or reprint line is not the first
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber, London
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Seamus Heaney |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber, London |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression: octavo, 56 pp., in the publisher's black cloth/linen lettered in gilt at the spine, in the dust jacket… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression: octavo, 56 pp., in the publisher's black cloth/linen lettered in gilt at the spine, in the dust jacket printed in red, green and white; the jacket should be unclipped with the price present at the flap. Brandes & Durkan A5. Copies as issued frequently have the Poetry Book Society Bulletin for Summer 1969 — carrying Heaney's own introductory remarks on the collection — loosely inserted; it is a desirable association but not a definitive point, since a loose insert is easily lost and just as easily added. Any copy whose copyright page carries an impression or reprint line is not the first.

## Is this the true first?
Faber & Faber (London), 1969 is the true first, confirming the census claim; the Oxford University Press (New York) 1969 issue is the first American edition and follows it. Both are collected. The two are easily confused because the American issue is described in the same black cloth with gilt spine lettering and the same red/green/white jacket, so the title-page and copyright-page imprint is the only safe check. A frequently repeated claim that the OUP issue was made up from purchased Faber sheets could not be corroborated and should not be published as a point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition documented for the 1969 issue. The reprint tells are Faber's later impressions, which add an impression line to the copyright page, and the later Faber paperback reissues (the title remains in print), which are not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Door into the Dark* by Seamus Heaney a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/door-into-the-dark
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.