# Is "The Apple That Astonished Paris" by Billy Collins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Apple That Astonished Paris by Billy Collins (University of Arkansas Press, 1988) is identified by: Billy Collins's first full collection, University of Arkansas Press, 1988, first printing (no later-printing or additional-edition statement on the copyright page); issued in both cloth and wrappers. US true first; a pre-fame small-press debut and among the scarcest Collins titles, especially in cloth.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Billy Collins's first full collection, University of Arkansas Press, 1988, first printing (no later-printing or additional-edition statement on the copyright page); issued in both cloth and wrappers
- The hardcover first is genuinely scarce given the small pre-fame print run
- Includes 'Introduction to Poetry' and other later-anthologized poems
- Publisher imprint reads University of Arkansas Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Billy Collins |
| Publisher | University of Arkansas Press |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Billy Collins's first full collection, University of Arkansas Press, 1988, first printing (no later-printing or additional-edition… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Billy Collins's first full collection, University of Arkansas Press, 1988, first printing (no later-printing or additional-edition statement on the copyright page); issued in both cloth and wrappers. The hardcover first is genuinely scarce given the small pre-fame print run. Includes 'Introduction to Poetry' and other later-anthologized poems.

## Is this the true first?
US true first; a pre-fame small-press debut and among the scarcest Collins titles, especially in cloth.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; the crux is the scarce 1988 cloth first versus wrappers and the later (1996) reissue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Apple That Astonished Paris* by Billy Collins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-apple-that-astonished-paris
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.