# Is "Migration: New and Selected Poems" by W. S. Merwin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Migration: New and Selected Poems by W. S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press, 2005) is identified by: First printing has a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; clothbound in dust jacket. The Copper Canyon clothbound US edition of 2005 (ISBN 9781556592188) is the true first and the collector's first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; clothbound in dust jacket
- ISBN 9781556592188
- The National Book Award seal is a publisher-applied sticker, not a printing point
- Publisher imprint reads Copper Canyon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. S. Merwin |
| Publisher | Copper Canyon Press |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | First printing has a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; clothbound in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; clothbound in dust jacket. ISBN 9781556592188. The National Book Award seal is a publisher-applied sticker, not a printing point.

## Is this the true first?
The Copper Canyon clothbound US edition of 2005 (ISBN 9781556592188) is the true first and the collector's first. There was no simultaneous 2005 paperback: the trade paperback (ISBN 9781556592614) is a later 2007 issue, not a true-first state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 2007 paperback is a reprint, not a first. Later printings show a shortened number line not reaching 1. No book-club edition noted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Migration: New and Selected Poems* by W. S. Merwin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/migration-new-and-selected-poems
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.