# Is "Praise" by Robert Hass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Praise by Robert Hass (The Ecco Press, 1979) is identified by: Volume 17 of Ecco's American Poetry Series; 68 pp with deckled edges; dark cloth over boards (described by dealers as burgundy to dark purple), gilt spine stamping; title blind-stamped upside down on the rear board; green dust jacket with black lettering and a black-and-white photo of Hass on the rear; title page undated, copyright page dated 1979; the first printing has no remainder mark. The US Ecco edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Volume 17 of Ecco's American Poetry Series
- 68 pp with deckled edges; dark cloth over boards (described by dealers as burgundy to dark purple), gilt spine stamping; title blind-stamped upside down on the rear board; green dust jacket with black lettering and a black-and-white photo of Hass on the rear; title page undated, copyright page dated 1979; the first printing has no remainder mark
- Publisher imprint reads The Ecco Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Hass |
| Publisher | The Ecco Press |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Volume 17 of Ecco's American Poetry Series |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Volume 17 of Ecco's American Poetry Series; 68 pp with deckled edges; dark cloth over boards (described by dealers as burgundy to dark purple), gilt spine stamping; title blind-stamped upside down on the rear board; green dust jacket with black lettering and a black-and-white photo of Hass on the rear; title page undated, copyright page dated 1979; the first printing has no remainder mark.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ecco edition is the true first. Issued in both hardcover and wrappers; the hardcover is the collector's first. Signed copies exist. Praise won the William Carlos Williams Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A remainder mark or a stated later printing indicates a later state; the softcover is a true-first issue but ranks below the cloth.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Praise* by Robert Hass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/praise
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.