Is My Leaves of Grass ('Deathbed' edition, 1891–92) a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The final authorized arrangement Whitman approved (the 'Deathbed edition'), David McKay, Philadelphia
• Points: cancel title page dated 1891-'2 (the contents leaf is also a cancel); the 'A Backward Glance O'er Travel'd Roads' essay and the 'Sands at Seventy' and 'Good-Bye My Fancy' annexes; and Whitman's printed note affirming this as the authoritative text
• Plain dark green cloth, spine lettered in gilt with title, author, and publisher

How David McKay marked a first edition

• 1882-c.1950: NO reliable first-edition statement of any kind; firsts and reprints are often indistinguishable from the copyright page alone — rely on earliest-state points, binding, jacket, and title-page imprint variant…
• c.1950-c.1975: later printings begin to be noted on the copyright page, so the ABSENCE of a later-printing notice indicates a first printing.

Full David McKay first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

This is the authoritative final-text issue, distinct from the many earlier editions and collected as Whitman's definitive arrangement. It was printed from the plates of the 1889 setting with annexes; verify the 1891-'2 cancel title page and the affirming note.P-032792

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later McKay and other-publisher printings reuse the text; the genuine deathbed issue has the 1891-'2 cancel title page, the dark green cloth, and Whitman's affirming note.P-032793

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Leaves of Grass ('Deathbed' edition, 1891–92) a first edition?

A first edition of Leaves of Grass ('Deathbed' edition, 1891–92) by Walt Whitman (David McKay) is identified by: The final authorized arrangement Whitman approved (the 'Deathbed edition'), David McKay, Philadelphia.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. This is the authoritative final-text issue, distinct from the many earlier editions and collected as Whitman's definitive arrangement.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later McKay and other-publisher printings reuse the text; the genuine deathbed issue has the 1891-'2 cancel title page, the dark green cloth, and Whitman's affirming note.

I have a first edition of Leaves of Grass ('Deathbed' edition, 1891–92) — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.