Is My Copy of The Green Wall a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is the Yale University Press printing of 1957, issued as Volume 53 in the Yale Series of Younger Poets with a foreword by W. H. Auden, collating xix + 93 pp. Yale's documented practice from 1930 to 1985 was to print the publication date on the title page only in the case of a first printing; a reprint instead states the date of first publication on the copyright page and lists the reprintings
• A first printing therefore shows 1957 on the title page and carries nothing on the copyright page beyond the copyright line
• Binding is off-white patterned paper over boards, the spine stamped in gilt over brown
• The jacket should be priced at the flap, and per Between the Covers it must lack the 'Second Printing' notice that Yale added to the front flap of the second-printing jacket; first-printing books are sometimes found in later jackets, so book and jacket must be checked separately

How Yale University Press, New Haven marked a first edition

• Older/standard convention: the copyright page of a REPRINT states the date of first publication and lists subsequent printings/editions; a copy whose copyright page carries only the copyright line (no reprint or…
• Revised editions always state the date of the original edition plus the revision — so any 'Second edition'/'Revised edition'/'Reprinted' language rules out a first printing of the first edition.

Full Yale University Press, New Haven first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US only. Yale University Press, New Haven, 1957 is the sole first edition of Wright's debut; no UK or original-language edition precedes or competes with it. The Yale Series of Younger Poets volume is the only edition collected as the first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented. The principal reprint trap is the AMS Press reissue of the complete Yale Series of Younger Poets (ISBN 0404538533), a later library-style reprint of the whole series. Otherwise the tells are a copyright page that lists reprintings, or a jacket whose front flap reads 'Second Printing'.P-043667

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Green Wall a first edition?

A first edition of The Green Wall by James Wright (Yale University Press, New Haven) is identified by: True first is the Yale University Press printing of 1957, issued as Volume 53 in the Yale Series of Younger Poets with a foreword by W. H. Auden, collating xix + 93 pp. Yale's documented practice from 1930 to 1985 was to print the publication date on the title page only in the case of a first printing; a reprint instead states the date of first publication on the copyright page and lists the reprintings.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US only.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue is documented. The principal reprint trap is the AMS Press reissue of the complete Yale Series of Younger Poets (ISBN 0404538533), a later library-style reprint of the whole series. Otherwise the tells are a copyright page that lists reprintings, or a jacket whose front flap reads 'Second Printing'.

I have a first edition of The Green Wall — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.