# Is "Once: Poems" by Alice Walker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Once: Poems by Alice Walker (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968) is identified by: Published by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1968; cloth-backed boards, 81 pp. US Harcourt, Brace & World 1968 is the true first; no simultaneous UK edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Walker's first book
- Published by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1968; cloth-backed boards, 81 pp
- Copyright page carries the year and a stated First edition with no later-printing statement
- Original dust jacket with the price unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace & World
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alice Walker |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace & World |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Walker's first book |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Walker's first book. Published by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1968; cloth-backed boards, 81 pp. Copyright page carries the year and a stated First edition with no later-printing statement. Original dust jacket with the price unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
US Harcourt, Brace & World 1968 is the true first; no simultaneous UK edition. The author's debut, scarce in a fine jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the First edition statement and add a printing line; price-clipped or facsimile jackets are common on resold copies.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Once: Poems* by Alice Walker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/once-poems
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.