# Is "Martín & Meditations on the South Valley signed first" by Jimmy Santiago Baca a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Martín & Meditations on the South Valley signed first by Jimmy Santiago Baca (New Directions, 1987) is identified by: The true first edition is the New Directions 1987 issue, published as a paperback original in glossy photo-illustrated card wrappers of about 104 pages, with an introduction by Denise Levertov. The New Directions 1987 first printing was issued in wrappers (a paperback original); there is no preceding hardcover trade edition, so the wrappers issue is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition is the New Directions 1987 issue, published as a paperback original in glossy photo-illustrated card wrappers of about 104 pages, with an introduction by Denise Levertov
- It gathers the long poem Martín (in nine parts) and Meditations on the South Valley (in twenty-eight parts), with two glossaries of Spanish words and phrases
- The book went on to receive an American Book Award
- A signed first is this first-printing wrappers issue inscribed or signed by Baca
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jimmy Santiago Baca |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition is the New Directions 1987 issue, published as a paperback original in glossy photo-illustrated card wrappers of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition is the New Directions 1987 issue, published as a paperback original in glossy photo-illustrated card wrappers of about 104 pages, with an introduction by Denise Levertov. It gathers the long poem Martín (in nine parts) and Meditations on the South Valley (in twenty-eight parts), with two glossaries of Spanish words and phrases. The book went on to receive an American Book Award. A signed first is this first-printing wrappers issue inscribed or signed by Baca.

## Is this the true first?
The New Directions 1987 first printing was issued in wrappers (a paperback original); there is no preceding hardcover trade edition, so the wrappers issue is the true first.

## 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. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Martín & Meditations on the South Valley signed first* by Jimmy Santiago Baca a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mart-n-meditations-on-the-south-valley-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.