# Is "The Miner's Pale Children" by W.S. Merwin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Miner's Pale Children by W.S. Merwin (Atheneum, 1970) is identified by: Merwin's first prose collection (short prose pieces and parables, several first published in The New Yorker). US Atheneum, 1970; first appearance and first prose book by the author.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Merwin's first prose collection (short prose pieces and parables, several first published in The New Yorker)
- First edition, Atheneum, New York, 1970, cloth in dust jacket
- Atheneum stated First Edition on the copyright page for its firsts in this period, with no later-printing indicator
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W.S. Merwin |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Merwin's first prose collection (short prose pieces and parables, several first published… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Merwin's first prose collection (short prose pieces and parables, several first published in The New Yorker). First edition, Atheneum, New York, 1970, cloth in dust jacket. Atheneum stated First Edition on the copyright page for its firsts in this period, with no later-printing indicator.

## Is this the true first?
US Atheneum, 1970; first appearance and first prose book by the author.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Miner's Pale Children* by W.S. Merwin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-miners-pale-children
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.