# Is "The Colossus" by Sylvia Plath a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Colossus by Sylvia Plath (William Heinemann, 1960) is identified by: Plath's only book of poems published in her lifetime under her own name and her first regularly published book. UK Heinemann issue (1960) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Plath's only book of poems published in her lifetime under her own name and her first regularly published book
- William Heinemann (London) first edition: green cloth lettered in dark green on the spine, in dust jacket
- Titled simply 'The Colossus' (no 'and Other Poems' on the UK issue)
- Tabor A2a
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sylvia Plath |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Plath's only book of poems published in her lifetime under her own name and her first regularly published book |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Plath's only book of poems published in her lifetime under her own name and her first regularly published book. William Heinemann (London) first edition: green cloth lettered in dark green on the spine, in dust jacket. Titled simply 'The Colossus' (no 'and Other Poems' on the UK issue). Tabor A2a.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann issue (1960) is the true first. The US Knopf edition (1962), titled 'The Colossus and Other Poems', omits about ten poems (including five of the seven parts of 'Poem for a Birthday') and is the first American edition, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club. Distinguish UK first (Heinemann 1960, fuller text, '...and Other Poems') from US first (Knopf 1962, 'The Colossus,' seven poems dropped). Verify imprint and contents.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Colossus* by Sylvia Plath a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-colossus
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.