# Is "The Carrier of Ladders" by W. S. Merwin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Carrier of Ladders by W. S. Merwin (Atheneum, 1970) is identified by: Atheneum first edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. US true first and Pulitzer winner (prize conferred 1971 for the 1970 book).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum first edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page
- Issued simultaneously in cloth (hardcover, dust jacket priced on the flap) and in paperbound wrappers; the cloth issue in jacket is the collected hardcover first
- Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1971
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. S. Merwin |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Atheneum first edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Atheneum first edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page. Issued simultaneously in cloth (hardcover, dust jacket priced on the flap) and in paperbound wrappers; the cloth issue in jacket is the collected hardcover first. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1971.

## Is this the true first?
US true first and Pulitzer winner (prize conferred 1971 for the 1970 book).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Carrier of Ladders* by W. S. Merwin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-carrier-of-ladders
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.