The points of issue
Won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973; first printing identified by the FSG first-printing statement with the year on the copyright page (FSG used wording such as First printing, 1973). Issued in a dust jacket. A UK Faber edition appeared the same year (1973).
Is this the true first?
The US FSG and UK Faber editions are both 1973 and near-concurrent; the FSG issue is generally treated as the trade first, though precedence between the two is not firmly settled.
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 Dolphin a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1973; first printing identified by the FSG first-printing statement with the year on the copyright page (FSG used wording such as First printing, 1973). Issued in a dust jacket. A UK Faber edition appeared the same year (1973).
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 and UK Faber editions are both 1973 and near-concurrent; the FSG issue is generally treated as the trade first, though precedence between the two is not firmly settled.
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 Dolphin — 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.