# Is "Omeros" by Derek Walcott a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Omeros by Derek Walcott (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1990) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition, 1990, with the FSG first-edition statement on the copyright page; cloth in a dust jacket priced on the flap. Published in 1990 in the US by FSG (simultaneously in Canada by Collins) and in the UK by Faber and Faber; the editions are effectively simultaneous, so confirm precedence against your collecting goal.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition, 1990, with the FSG first-edition statement on the copyright page; cloth in a dust jacket priced on the flap
- Book-length Caribbean epic that helped secure his 1992 Nobel Prize
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Derek Walcott |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition, 1990, with the FSG first-edition statement on the copyright page; cloth in a dust jacket priced on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux first edition, 1990, with the FSG first-edition statement on the copyright page; cloth in a dust jacket priced on the flap. Book-length Caribbean epic that helped secure his 1992 Nobel Prize.

## Is this the true first?
Published in 1990 in the US by FSG (simultaneously in Canada by Collins) and in the UK by Faber and Faber; the editions are effectively simultaneous, so confirm precedence against your collecting goal. FSG is the US first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later printings carry a printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Omeros* by Derek Walcott a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/omeros
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.