The points of issue
Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (Ryan was sixteenth US Poet Laureate). The Grove Press first edition (New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8021-1914-8) is a clothbound hardcover with dust jacket, paper over boards. Confirm the first printing by the stated edition and number line on the copyright page.
Is this the true first?
US Grove Press (2010) is the true first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Best of It: New and Selected Poems a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (Ryan was sixteenth US Poet Laureate). The Grove Press first edition (New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8021-1914-8) is a clothbound hardcover with dust jacket, paper over boards. Confirm the first printing by the stated edition and number line on the copyright page.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Grove Press (2010) is the true first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition.
I have a first edition of The Best of It: New and Selected Poems — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.