# Is "Poems" by W. H. Auden a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Poems by W. H. Auden (Faber & Faber, 1930) 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). The UK Faber edition of 1930 is the true first trade edition, in stiff printed wrappers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. H. Auden |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Auden's first commercially published book, preceded only by the privately printed 1928 Poems hand-set by Stephen Spender (the limitation… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Poems* by W. H. Auden a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/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.