# Is "His Toy, His Dream, His Rest" by John Berryman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of His Toy, His Dream, His Rest by John Berryman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1968) is identified by: The 308 Dream Songs completing the sequence begun in 77 Dream Songs. US Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1968, precedes the UK Faber edition (1969).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The 308 Dream Songs completing the sequence begun in 77 Dream Songs
- First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968, cloth in dust jacket
- Identify the true first by the stated first printing on the copyright page
- FSG first-printing statements of this period are not uniformly worded, so do not rely on one exact phrase
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Berryman |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Giroux |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The 308 Dream Songs completing the sequence begun in 77 Dream Songs |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The 308 Dream Songs completing the sequence begun in 77 Dream Songs. First edition, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1968, cloth in dust jacket. Identify the true first by the stated first printing on the copyright page; FSG first-printing statements of this period are not uniformly worded, so do not rely on one exact phrase.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1968, precedes the UK Faber edition (1969). The combined The Dream Songs followed in 1969.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *His Toy, His Dream, His Rest* by John Berryman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/his-toy-his-dream-his-rest
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.