# Is "The Dream of a Common Language" by Adrienne Rich a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dream of a Common Language by Adrienne Rich (W.W. Norton, 1978) is identified by: Subtitled Poems 1974-1977 and including the sequence Twenty-One Love Poems. US W.W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Subtitled Poems 1974-1977 and including the sequence Twenty-One Love Poems
- First edition, W.W. Norton, tan cloth boards in dust jacket
- First printing follows Norton practice with a complete number line on the copyright page and no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads W.W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Adrienne Rich |
| Publisher | W.W. Norton |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Subtitled Poems 1974-1977 and including the sequence Twenty-One Love Poems |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Subtitled Poems 1974-1977 and including the sequence Twenty-One Love Poems. First edition, W.W. Norton, tan cloth boards in dust jacket. First printing follows Norton practice with a complete number line on the copyright page and no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
US W.W. Norton is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition of the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dream of a Common Language* by Adrienne Rich a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dream-of-a-common-language
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.