# Is "The Far Field" by Theodore Roethke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Far Field by Theodore Roethke (Doubleday, 1964) is identified by: Doubleday first edition with 'First Edition' stated; black cloth-backed boards, spine titled in gilt; in priced dust jacket. US true first; posthumous National Book Award winner.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday first edition with 'First Edition' stated; black cloth-backed boards, spine titled in gilt; in priced dust jacket
- Posthumous collection (Roethke died in 1963); won the 1965 National Book Award for Poetry
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Theodore Roethke |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Doubleday first edition with 'First Edition' stated; black cloth-backed boards, spine titled in gilt; in priced dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Doubleday first edition with 'First Edition' stated; black cloth-backed boards, spine titled in gilt; in priced dust jacket. Posthumous collection (Roethke died in 1963); won the 1965 National Book Award for Poetry.

## Is this the true first?
US true first; posthumous National Book Award winner. Author signatures are not possible after 1963, so only earlier inscribed/presentation material would bear his hand.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later Doubleday printings drop the 'First Edition' statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Far Field* by Theodore Roethke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-far-field
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.