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First-Edition Identification · Robert Frost

Is My New Hampshire a First Edition?

Henry Holt, 1923

The points of issue

New York: Henry Holt, 1923. Won the 1924 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and contains 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' and 'Fire and Ice'. The precedence first is the signed limited edition of 350 numbered copies, signed by Frost on the limitation leaf, illustrated with four woodcuts by J. J. Lankes, on rough paper in green-grey linen cloth with tan-mottled endpapers. The trade edition followed about three months later.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Henry Holt first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

The 350-copy signed, numbered limited edition is the precedence first; the 1923 Holt trade edition is the first trade printing. US Holt is the true first, with no prior UK edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book club of note. The trade first is told from the limited by the absence of the signature/limitation leaf and the large-paper woodcut format of the limited.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of New Hampshire a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: New York: Henry Holt, 1923. Won the 1924 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and contains 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' and 'Fire and Ice'. The precedence first is the signed limited edition of 350 numbered copies, signed by Frost on the limitation leaf, illustrated with four woodcuts by J. J. Lankes, on rough paper in green-grey linen cloth with tan-mottled endpapers. The trade edition followed about three months later.

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 350-copy signed, numbered limited edition is the precedence first; the 1923 Holt trade edition is the first trade printing. US Holt is the true first, with no prior UK edition.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book club of note. The trade first is told from the limited by the absence of the signature/limitation leaf and the large-paper woodcut format of the limited.

I have a first edition of New Hampshire — 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.

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