The points of issue
Collected poems gathering work from his first four Wesleyan volumes plus new poems. Per the Wesleyan first-printing convention, issued in cloth and in wrappers. The cloth trade first printing dated 1967 is the standard collected first.
Is this the true first?
US first; first-thus collected gathering. A small promotional miniature preview booklet (about 500 copies, largely blank pages with a short introduction) circulated to reviewers and booksellers but is a publicity dummy, not the readable text first edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; the working distinction is cloth versus wrappers of the 1967 trade issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Poems 1957-1967 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Collected poems gathering work from his first four Wesleyan volumes plus new poems. Per the Wesleyan first-printing convention, issued in cloth and in wrappers. The cloth trade first printing dated 1967 is the standard collected first.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US first; first-thus collected gathering. A small promotional miniature preview booklet (about 500 copies, largely blank pages with a short introduction) circulated to reviewers and booksellers but is a publicity dummy, not the readable text first edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition; the working distinction is cloth versus wrappers of the 1967 trade issue.
I have a first edition of Poems 1957-1967 — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.