The points of issue
First printing stated on the copyright page with no added later-printing line; clothbound in dust jacket with the original price intact. Cloth ISBN 0395291259; a simultaneous wrappers issue (ISBN 0395291267) also exists, with the cloth being the collector's first.
Is this the true first?
The US Houghton Mifflin 1980 clothbound edition is the true first. This is the source volume for poems later gathered in the 1982 Selected Poems.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry an added printing statement; the jacket is otherwise unchanged. Do not confuse the wrappers issue with the cloth first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Mortal Acts, Mortal Words a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing stated on the copyright page with no added later-printing line; clothbound in dust jacket with the original price intact. Cloth ISBN 0395291259; a simultaneous wrappers issue (ISBN 0395291267) also exists, with the cloth being the collector's first.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Houghton Mifflin 1980 clothbound edition is the true first. This is the source volume for poems later gathered in the 1982 Selected Poems.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings carry an added printing statement; the jacket is otherwise unchanged. Do not confuse the wrappers issue with the cloth first.
I have a first edition of Mortal Acts, Mortal Words — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.