Is My Copy of The Maximus Poems a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Jargon/Corinth Books first collected edition, 1960 (Jonathan Williams's Jargon Society in association with Corinth), first printing
• Issued primarily in decorated wrappers with a map design; a small hardcover binding was also done (about 75 numbered copies, plus 26 lettered-and-signed copies)
• It gathers and revises material first issued piecemeal: The Maximus Poems / 1-10 (Jargon 7, 1953) and The Maximus Poems / 11-22 (Jargon 9, 1956)

How Jargon / Corinth Books marked a first edition

• 1960s-1990s: continued limited letterpress and offset editions, some co-published as Jargon/Corinth. A first = colophon limitation present and matching the checklist; trade co-issues are identified by the absence of a…

Full Jargon / Corinth Books 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. 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.
5. 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?

The true first appearances are the earlier piecemeal installments, The Maximus Poems / 1-10 (1953) and / 11-22 (1956), printed by hand letterpress in Stuttgart, Germany (Dr. Cantz'sche Druckerei) for Jonathan Williams's Jargon imprint, in small editions (about 300 and 350 copies). The 1960 Jargon/Corinth volume is the first collected gathering, not the first appearance; choose by goal.P-004535

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition. The crux is the early hand-printed Stuttgart installments (1953, 1956) vs the 1960 first collected edition.P-004536

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Maximus Poems a first edition?

A first edition of The Maximus Poems by Charles Olson (Jargon / Corinth Books) is identified by: Jargon/Corinth Books first collected edition, 1960 (Jonathan Williams's Jargon Society in association with Corinth), first printing.

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. The true first appearances are the earlier piecemeal installments, The Maximus Poems / 1-10 (1953) and / 11-22 (1956), printed by hand letterpress in Stuttgart, Germany (Dr. Cantz'sche Druckerei) for Jonathan Williams's Jargon imprint, in small editions (about 300 and 350 copies).

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

No book-club edition. The crux is the early hand-printed Stuttgart installments (1953, 1956) vs the 1960 first collected edition.

I have a first edition of The Maximus Poems — 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.