# Is "In the Clearing" by Robert Frost a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In the Clearing by Robert Frost (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962) is identified by: Frost's last collection, published on his 88th birthday, 26 March 1962. US Holt, Rinehart and Winston is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Frost's last collection, published on his 88th birthday, 26 March 1962
- Issued as a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 1500 copies, printed at the Spiral Press
- The trade first printing is identified per Holt, Rinehart and Winston convention (no later-printing statement present) and the dust jacket bears the original front-flap price
- Includes 'For John F. Kennedy His Inauguration.'
- Publisher imprint reads Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Frost |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Frost's last collection, published on his 88th birthday, 26 March 1962 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Frost's last collection, published on his 88th birthday, 26 March 1962. Issued as a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 1500 copies, printed at the Spiral Press. The trade first printing is identified per Holt, Rinehart and Winston convention (no later-printing statement present) and the dust jacket bears the original front-flap price. Includes 'For John F. Kennedy His Inauguration.'

## Is this the true first?
US Holt, Rinehart and Winston is the true first. The 1500-copy signed limited is the premium.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition relevant to the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In the Clearing* by Robert Frost a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-the-clearing
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.