The points of issue
Jonathan Cape (London) first edition, first impression, 'first published 1962' so stated; quarter cloth over patterned paper boards with a priced dust jacket, around 79 pages. Walcott's first collection issued by a major international publisher.
Is this the true first?
UK Cape is the true first as Walcott's first book published outside the Caribbean. It is not his earliest book overall — privately and locally printed West Indian volumes (25 Poems, 1948; Epitaph for the Young; Poems) preceded it. Among his commercially distributed trade books this is the earliest and is much scarcer than his later Farrar, Straus and Giroux titles.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later printings add a printing statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of In a Green Night: Poems 1948–1960 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Jonathan Cape (London) first edition, first impression, 'first published 1962' so stated; quarter cloth over patterned paper boards with a priced dust jacket, around 79 pages. Walcott's first collection issued by a major international publisher.
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. UK Cape is the true first as Walcott's first book published outside the Caribbean. It is not his earliest book overall — privately and locally printed West Indian volumes (25 Poems, 1948; Epitaph for the Young; Poems) preceded it. Among his commercially distributed trade books this is the earliest a
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition; later printings add a printing statement.
I have a first edition of In a Green Night: Poems 1948–1960 — 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.