# Is "Of Woman Born" by Adrienne Rich a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Of Woman Born by Adrienne Rich (W.W. Norton, 1976) is identified by: Rich's major prose work, subtitled Motherhood as Experience and Institution. US W.W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Rich's major prose work, subtitled Motherhood as Experience and Institution
- First edition, W.W. Norton, cloth in dust jacket
- First printing carries a complete descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, the standard Norton first-printing point for this period
- Publisher imprint reads W.W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Adrienne Rich |
| Publisher | W.W. Norton |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Rich's major prose work, subtitled Motherhood as Experience and Institution |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Rich's major prose work, subtitled Motherhood as Experience and Institution. First edition, W.W. Norton, cloth in dust jacket. First printing carries a complete descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, the standard Norton first-printing point for this period.

## Is this the true first?
US W.W. Norton is the true first edition of this original prose work.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition of the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Of Woman Born* by Adrienne Rich a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/of-woman-born
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.