# Is "Now and Then: Poems 1976-1978" by Robert Penn Warren a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Now and Then: Poems 1976-1978 by Robert Penn Warren (Random House, 1978) is identified by: Won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. US Random House (1978) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- First printing: Random House, New York, 1978, with 'First Edition' stated and the Random House number line ending in '2' on the copyright page, in dust jacket
- A signed/numbered limited issue also exists
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Penn Warren |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. First printing: Random House, New York, 1978, with 'First Edition' stated and the Random House number line ending in '2' on the copyright page, in dust jacket. A signed/numbered limited issue also exists.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House (1978) is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. The trade first has 'First Edition' plus the full number line ending in '2'; later printings advance the line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Now and Then: Poems 1976-1978* by Robert Penn Warren a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/now-and-then-poems-1976-1978
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.