Is My Poems a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Auden's first commercially published book, preceded only by the privately printed 1928 Poems hand-set by Stephen Spender (the limitation states about 45 copies, but Spender completed probably only around 30)
• The Faber & Faber first edition of 1930 (Bloomfield & Mendelson A2, about 1,000 copies) was issued NOT in boards but in stiff paper wrappers, printed in blue over card, and usually supplied in a plain glassine — there is no cloth, no boards, and no separate applied spine label
• It contains the verse charade 'Paid on Both Sides' and thirty short poems
• A true 1930 first shows the original contents and the 'First published in mcmxxx' statement with no reprint or second-edition line

How Faber & Faber marked a first edition

• First printings state "First published in [Year]" (often "First published in mcmxxxx") on the copyright/verso page, with no list of later impressions
• Prior to 1968 the year was set in ROMAN NUMERALS (e.g. 'First published in mcmliv'); from 1968 onward Arabic numerals were used — a key dating tell

Full Faber & Faber first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The UK Faber edition of 1930 is the true first trade edition, in stiff printed wrappers. The 1928 Spender hand-set Poems is the genuine first appearance but is a privately printed pamphlet, separately catalogued. The first US edition is the Random House 'Poems' of 1934 — an omnibus that also contains The Orators and The Dance of Death — and is later; UK precedes US.P-037425

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition. The most common confusion is the 1933 Faber second edition, which has revised contents (seven of the 1930 poems replaced by seven written during 1930) and a 'second edition' statement — a different book from the 1930 first. Beware also copies wrongly catalogued as 'boards' or 'cloth': the genuine 1930 first is in stiff paper wrappers.P-037426

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Poems a first edition?

A first edition of Poems by W. H. Auden (Faber & Faber) is identified by: Auden's first commercially published book, preceded only by the privately printed 1928 Poems hand-set by Stephen Spender (the limitation states about 45 copies, but Spender completed probably only around 30).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The UK Faber edition of 1930 is the true first trade edition, in stiff printed wrappers.

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

No book-club edition. The most common confusion is the 1933 Faber second edition, which has revised contents (seven of the 1930 poems replaced by seven written during 1930) and a 'second edition' statement — a different book from the 1930 first. Beware also copies wrongly catalogued as 'boards' or 'cloth': the genuine 1930 first is in stiff paper wrappers.

I have a first edition of Poems — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.