The points of issue
Won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. The true first is the Wesleyan University Press / University Press of New England 1993 edition (Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems), identified as first edition, first printing. The hardcover issue was published without a dust jacket; a simultaneous paperback was also issued.
Is this the true first?
US Wesleyan/UPNE (1993) is the true first; the hardcover (issued without a dust jacket) is the collector's first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Neon Vernacular a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Won the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the 1994 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. The true first is the Wesleyan University Press / University Press of New England 1993 edition (Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems), identified as first edition, first printing. The hardcover issue was published without a dust jacket; a simultaneous paperback was also issued.
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. US Wesleyan/UPNE (1993) is the true first; the hardcover (issued without a dust jacket) is the collector's first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition noted.
I have a first edition of Neon Vernacular — 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.