The points of issue
First collected and complete edition, published posthumously. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1983; first printing identified by the FSG first-printing/first-edition statement with the year on the copyright page (FSG in this period used wording such as First printing or First edition followed by the year). Green cloth in an orange dust jacket designed by Cynthia Krupat.
Is this the true first?
The US FSG issue (1983) is the true first of this collected volume; the individual earlier collections have their own separate firsts.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue of note; later printings drop the first-printing statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Complete Poems 1927-1979 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First collected and complete edition, published posthumously. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1983; first printing identified by the FSG first-printing/first-edition statement with the year on the copyright page (FSG in this period used wording such as First printing or First edition followed by the year). Green cloth in an orange dust jacket designed by Cynthia Krupat.
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. The US FSG issue (1983) is the true first of this collected volume; the individual earlier collections have their own separate firsts.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club issue of note; later printings drop the first-printing statement.
I have a first edition of The Complete Poems 1927-1979 — 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.