# Is "Selected Poems" by Donald Justice a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Selected Poems by Donald Justice (Atheneum, 1979) is identified by: Won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. US Atheneum (1979) is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- First printing: Atheneum, New York, 1979, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, consistent with Atheneum's house practice of the period; issued in cloth with dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Donald Justice |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. First printing: Atheneum, New York, 1979, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, consistent with Atheneum's house practice of the period; issued in cloth with dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Atheneum (1979) is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The 'First Edition' statement appears only on the first printing; later printings drop it and are noted as such.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Selected Poems* by Donald Justice a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/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.