# Is "Indian Earth signed first" by Witter Bynner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Indian Earth signed first by Witter Bynner (Knopf, 1929) is identified by: The true first edition of Indian Earth is the Alfred A. The US Knopf edition of 1929 is the true first; there is no earlier or simultaneous foreign edition, so this Borzoi printing is the first appearance in book form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition of Indian Earth is the Alfred A. Knopf printing of 1929 (Borzoi imprint), from the poet's Santa Fe circle
- It is bound in cloth-covered boards with a spine title, the top edge stained maroon and the fore-edge left deckled, and includes the Knopf Borzoi colophon and the "A Note on the Type" leaf that authenticate genuine Knopf production
- A signed copy carries Bynner's autograph, most desirably in a first printing rather than the 1930 second printing that also turns up signed
- Publisher imprint reads Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Witter Bynner |
| Publisher | Knopf |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition of Indian Earth is the Alfred A. Knopf printing of 1929 (Borzoi imprint), from the poet's Santa Fe circle |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition of Indian Earth is the Alfred A. Knopf printing of 1929 (Borzoi imprint), from the poet's Santa Fe circle. It is bound in cloth-covered boards with a spine title, the top edge stained maroon and the fore-edge left deckled, and includes the Knopf Borzoi colophon and the "A Note on the Type" leaf that authenticate genuine Knopf production. A signed copy carries Bynner's autograph, most desirably in a first printing rather than the 1930 second printing that also turns up signed.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf edition of 1929 is the true first; there is no earlier or simultaneous foreign edition, so this Borzoi printing is the first appearance in book form.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Borzoi colophon and “A Note on the Type” page authenticate genuine Knopf production rather than a book club reprint. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Indian Earth signed first* by Witter Bynner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/indian-earth-signed-first
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.