# Is "Findings" by Wendell Berry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Findings by Wendell Berry (Prairie Press, 1969) is identified by: The Prairie Press (Iowa City) letterpress first edition, 1969, a slim fine-press poetry volume with no later-printing indicia. True first; a fine-press letterpress volume issued by Carroll Coleman's Prairie Press in Iowa City.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Prairie Press (Iowa City) letterpress first edition, 1969, a slim fine-press poetry volume with no later-printing indicia
- Berry's third collection of poems, following The Broken Ground and Openings, built chiefly around the two long sequences 'The House' and 'The Handing Down.'
- Correct publisher/imprint: Prairie Press

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wendell Berry |
| Publisher | Prairie Press |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | The Prairie Press (Iowa City) letterpress first edition, 1969, a slim fine-press poetry… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Prairie Press (Iowa City) letterpress first edition, 1969, a slim fine-press poetry volume with no later-printing indicia. Berry's third collection of poems, following The Broken Ground and Openings, built chiefly around the two long sequences 'The House' and 'The Handing Down.'

## Is this the true first?
True first; a fine-press letterpress volume issued by Carroll Coleman's Prairie Press in Iowa City. It is Berry's third book of poems.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; a fine-press item printed by letterpress at the Prairie Press.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Findings* by Wendell Berry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/findings
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.