Is My 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 later-pr…
• 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, and the census claim is confirmed. 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'.

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.

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, and the census claim is confirmed.

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 — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

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.