# Is "Steeple Bush" by Robert Frost a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Steeple Bush by Robert Frost (Henry Holt, 1947) is identified by: Issued in two forms in 1947: a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered copies, printed at the Spiral Press with title-page decoration by Loren MacIver, in half-cloth over decorated boards with glassine and slipcase. US Henry Holt is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in two forms in 1947: a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered copies, printed at the Spiral Press with title-page decoration by Loren MacIver, in half-cloth over decorated boards with glassine and slipcase
- The signed limited is the collector premium; the trade first printing carries no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Frost |
| Publisher | Henry Holt |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in two forms in 1947: a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued in two forms in 1947: a trade first edition and a signed limited edition of 751 numbered copies, printed at the Spiral Press with title-page decoration by Loren MacIver, in half-cloth over decorated boards with glassine and slipcase. The signed limited is the collector premium; the trade first printing carries no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt is the true first. The 751-copy signed limited is the premium issue; the trade first is the accessible first printing. Frost's penultimate collection.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition relevant to the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Steeple Bush* by Robert Frost a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/steeple-bush
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.