# Is "Heart's Needle" by W. D. Snodgrass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Heart's Needle by W. D. Snodgrass (Alfred A. Knopf, 1959) is identified by: Won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, a confessional landmark. US Knopf (1959) is the clear true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, a confessional landmark
- First printing: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959, copyright page stating 'First published April 13, 1959' with the Borzoi device; an edition of 1500 copies, in dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. D. Snodgrass |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, a confessional landmark |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, a confessional landmark. First printing: Alfred A. Knopf, 1959, copyright page stating 'First published April 13, 1959' with the Borzoi device; an edition of 1500 copies, in dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf (1959) is the clear true first. The Marvell Press (Hessle, Yorkshire) edition is dated 1960 and is the first English edition; it does not compete with Knopf for precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Heart's Needle* by W. D. Snodgrass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hearts-needle
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.