# Is "Near Klamath" by Raymond Carver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Near Klamath by Raymond Carver (English Club of Sacramento State College, 1968) is identified by: Carver's first book: a slim collection of poems issued in stapled printed wrappers by the English Club of Sacramento State College, Sacramento, California, 1968, reported as red wraps printed in black. The census claim is confirmed: Near Klamath is US-only, published by the English Club of Sacramento State College, Sacramento, California, 1968, and there is no UK, foreign, or original-language precedence question — no other edition exists.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Carver's first book: a slim collection of poems issued in stapled printed wrappers by the English Club of Sacramento State College, Sacramento, California, 1968, reported as red wraps printed in black
- There is no edition statement, number line, or printing notice — the pamphlet exists in a single printing, so the imprint and date are themselves the identification, and there is no first-versus-later-printing question
- The print run is not fixed: Ken Lopez (ABAA) records 'an unknown number of copies were printed, generally thought to be between 100 and 200, with the lower number more likely,' while a dealer account attributed to Carver himself puts it at some 200 copies; it was distributed locally by the English Club and no copies were offered for sale, which accounts for the survival rate
- Lopez characterises it as 'one of the scarcest first books of the latter half of the 20th century,' noting only a single auction appearance across the major internet databases in roughly two decades
- Because copies were never trade-distributed, provenance and the absence of any later imprint are the practical checks; ownership signatures are common and not a defect of issue
- Publisher imprint reads English Club of Sacramento State College
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Raymond Carver |
| Publisher | English Club of Sacramento State College |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Carver's first book: a slim collection of poems issued in stapled printed wrappers by the English Club of Sacramento State College… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Carver's first book: a slim collection of poems issued in stapled printed wrappers by the English Club of Sacramento State College, Sacramento, California, 1968, reported as red wraps printed in black. There is no edition statement, number line, or printing notice — the pamphlet exists in a single printing, so the imprint and date are themselves the identification, and there is no first-versus-later-printing question. The print run is not fixed: Ken Lopez (ABAA) records 'an unknown number of copies were printed, generally thought to be between 100 and 200, with the lower number more likely,' while a dealer account attributed to Carver himself puts it at some 200 copies; it was distributed locally by the English Club and no copies were offered for sale, which accounts for the survival rate. Lopez characterises it as 'one of the scarcest first books of the latter half of the 20th century,' noting only a single auction appearance across the major internet databases in roughly two decades. Because copies were never trade-distributed, provenance and the absence of any later imprint are the practical checks; ownership signatures are common and not a defect of issue.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim is confirmed: Near Klamath is US-only, published by the English Club of Sacramento State College, Sacramento, California, 1968, and there is no UK, foreign, or original-language precedence question — no other edition exists. It is Carver's first separately published book and anchors any Carver census; the later poetry pamphlets (Winter Insomnia, 1970) do not precede it. One reference source states Carver was teaching at Sacramento State at the time of publication; his documented association with the college was as a student (BA 1963), so that claim is not repeated here.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None — no book-club, reprint, or later issue of Near Klamath exists in the sources consulted, the pamphlet having been produced in one small run for local distribution. Any copy presenting as this title in a binding other than stapled printed wrappers, or bearing a commercial imprint, is not this book.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Near Klamath* by Raymond Carver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/near-klamath
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.