The points of issue
Combines the 1946 North & South with the new 'A Cold Spring' section (seventeen added poems). First printing of about 2,000 copies, so noted as a first printing on the copyright page. Won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
Is this the true first?
US true first, and the 'first thus' for the 'A Cold Spring' poems — their first appearance in book form. Pulitzer winner.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition. The trap is later printings lacking the first-printing statement on the copyright page.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Poems: North & South — A Cold Spring a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Combines the 1946 North & South with the new 'A Cold Spring' section (seventeen added poems). First printing of about 2,000 copies, so noted as a first printing on the copyright page. Won the 1956 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
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 true first, and the 'first thus' for the 'A Cold Spring' poems — their first appearance in book form. Pulitzer winner.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No significant book-club edition. The trap is later printings lacking the first-printing statement on the copyright page.
I have a first edition of Poems: North & South — A Cold Spring — 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.