# Is "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems" by Billy Collins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems by Billy Collins (Random House, 2001) is identified by: Random House (New York) first edition, stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1. US true first and the 'first thus' for the new poems and the selected gathering.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House (New York) first edition, stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1
- Cloth in priced dust jacket
- This is the breakout selected volume issued as Collins was named US Poet Laureate; it gathered new poems with selections from his earlier University of Pittsburgh Press collections
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Billy Collins |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Random House (New York) first edition, stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Random House (New York) first edition, stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1. Cloth in priced dust jacket. This is the breakout selected volume issued as Collins was named US Poet Laureate; it gathered new poems with selections from his earlier University of Pittsburgh Press collections.

## Is this the true first?
US true first and the 'first thus' for the new poems and the selected gathering. Signed copies are common but desirable.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement and advance the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems* by Billy Collins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sailing-alone-around-the-room-new-and-selected-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.