# Is "The Last Night of the Earth Poems" by Charles Bukowski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Night of the Earth Poems by Charles Bukowski (Black Sparrow Press, 1992) is identified by: Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1992. True first is the 1992 Black Sparrow Press edition; the last poetry collection published in Bukowski's lifetime.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1992
- The collectible first is the trade hardcover with acetate dustjacket, issued alongside a signed and numbered limited issue (about 750 signed and numbered copies) and a deluxe hand-bound issue with an original signed silkscreen print bound in front
- Title page printed in more than one color; no statement of later printing on the copyright page of the first
- Publisher imprint reads Black Sparrow Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Bukowski |
| Publisher | Black Sparrow Press |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1992 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1992. Poems. The collectible first is the trade hardcover with acetate dustjacket, issued alongside a signed and numbered limited issue (about 750 signed and numbered copies) and a deluxe hand-bound issue with an original signed silkscreen print bound in front. Title page printed in more than one color; no statement of later printing on the copyright page of the first.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1992 Black Sparrow Press edition; the last poetry collection published in Bukowski's lifetime. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Night of the Earth Poems* by Charles Bukowski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-night-of-the-earth-poems
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.