The points of issue
Knopf first edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon. Edited by Donald Allen, introduction by John Ashbery. The first-issue dust jacket reproduces Larry Rivers' nude portrait of O'Hara; it was withdrawn after objections from the O'Hara family and replaced by a typographic (plain) second-issue jacket. Large dust-jacketed volume of about 586 pages.
Is this the true first?
US true first and the first collected gathering; many poems appear in book form here for the first time. The first-issue Larry Rivers nude jacket is the key collecting point.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Correction: the National Book Award for Poetry was shared in 1972 (with Howard Moss's Selected Poems), not won outright. Later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Knopf first edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page and the Borzoi colophon. Edited by Donald Allen, introduction by John Ashbery. The first-issue dust jacket reproduces Larry Rivers' nude portrait of O'Hara; it was withdrawn after objections from the O'Hara family and replaced by a typographic (plain) second-issue jacket. Large dust-jacketed volume of about 586 pages.
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 true first and the first collected gathering; many poems appear in book form here for the first time. The first-issue Larry Rivers nude jacket is the key collecting point.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition. Correction: the National Book Award for Poetry was shared in 1972 (with Howard Moss's Selected Poems), not won outright. Later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement.
I have a first edition of The Collected Poems of Frank O'Hara — 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.