The points of issue
Published by Graywolf Press in 2021 as a trade paperback original; a sequence of 156 sonnets. Won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The true first is the 2021 Graywolf trade paperback, the first printing of which carries the publisher's copyright-page indicia with no later-printing line.
Is this the true first?
US Graywolf Press (2021) is the true first. No preceding UK or hardcover edition exists.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. First printing identified by the Graywolf copyright page showing no later-printing line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of frank: sonnets a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Published by Graywolf Press in 2021 as a trade paperback original; a sequence of 156 sonnets. Won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, the 2021 National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The true first is the 2021 Graywolf trade paperback, the first printing of which carries the publisher's copyright-page indicia with no later-printing line.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Graywolf Press (2021) is the true first. No preceding UK or hardcover edition exists.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition. First printing identified by the Graywolf copyright page showing no later-printing line.
I have a first edition of frank: sonnets — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.