# Is "Homage to Mistress Bradstreet" by John Berryman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Homage to Mistress Bradstreet by John Berryman (Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1956) is identified by: Full title on title page: 'Homage to Mistress Bradstreet. US Farrar, Straus & Cudahy (1956) is the true first; the Faber & Faber UK edition follows in 1959 (in a combined volume).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Full title on title page: 'Homage to Mistress Bradstreet
- With Pictures by Ben Shahn.' Shahn supplied the text illustrations and the jacket and board designs
- First edition, Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1956, illustrated boards with dust jacket; a landmark long poem that first brought Berryman national critical attention
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus & Cudahy
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Berryman |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus & Cudahy |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Full title on title page: 'Homage to Mistress Bradstreet |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Full title on title page: 'Homage to Mistress Bradstreet. With Pictures by Ben Shahn.' Shahn supplied the text illustrations and the jacket and board designs. First edition, Farrar, Straus & Cudahy, 1956, illustrated boards with dust jacket; a landmark long poem that first brought Berryman national critical attention.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus & Cudahy (1956) is the true first; the Faber & Faber UK edition follows in 1959 (in a combined volume).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Homage to Mistress Bradstreet* by John Berryman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/homage-to-mistress-bradstreet
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.