The points of issue
Winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The first edition was published by Ecco (Hopewell, New Jersey) in 1995 in quarter cloth over boards with a pictorial dust jacket designed by Michael Ian Kaye. First printings carry the Ecco first-edition statement with an unadvanced number line and the original unclipped jacket.
Is this the true first?
US Ecco edition (1995) is the true first. Carcanet issued the first British edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; on the genuine first printing the number line is intact and unadvanced.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Dream of the Unified Field: Selected Poems 1974-1994 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The first edition was published by Ecco (Hopewell, New Jersey) in 1995 in quarter cloth over boards with a pictorial dust jacket designed by Michael Ian Kaye. First printings carry the Ecco first-edition statement with an unadvanced number line and the original unclipped jacket.
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 Ecco edition (1995) is the true first. Carcanet issued the first British edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club issue; on the genuine first printing the number line is intact and unadvanced.
I have a first edition of The Dream of the Unified Field: Selected Poems 1974-1994 — 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.