# Is "I Am! Says the Lamb" by Theodore Roethke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of I Am! Says the Lamb by Theodore Roethke (Doubleday, 1961) is identified by: First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, 70 pages, illustrated by Robert Leydenfrost. US Doubleday (1961); no prior edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, 70 pages, illustrated by Robert Leydenfrost
- First printing carries the 'First Edition' statement per Doubleday convention
- Two sections: 'The Nonsense Poems' and 'The Greenhouse Poems.'
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Theodore Roethke |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, 70 pages, illustrated by Robert… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Doubleday & Company, Garden City, 70 pages, illustrated by Robert Leydenfrost. First printing carries the 'First Edition' statement per Doubleday convention. Two sections: 'The Nonsense Poems' and 'The Greenhouse Poems.'

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday (1961); no prior edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *I Am! Says the Lamb* by Theodore Roethke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/i-am-says-the-lamb
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.