# Is "The New American Poetry 1945–1960" by edited by Donald M. Allen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The New American Poetry 1945–1960 by edited by Donald M. Allen (Grove Press, 1960) is identified by: Grove Press first, issued simultaneously in cloth hardcover (black cloth, spine and upper board lettered in gilt; the scarce collector's first) and as an Evergreen paperback (common). US true first; landmark anthology.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Grove Press first, issued simultaneously in cloth hardcover (black cloth, spine and upper board lettered in gilt; the scarce collector's first) and as an Evergreen paperback (common)
- The foundational anthology of the Beats, Black Mountain, New York School, and San Francisco Renaissance, gathering 215 poems by 44 poets with a preface, statements on poetics, biographical notes, and bibliographies
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | edited by Donald M. Allen |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Grove Press first, issued simultaneously in cloth hardcover (black cloth, spine and upper board lettered in gilt; the scarce collector's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Grove Press first, issued simultaneously in cloth hardcover (black cloth, spine and upper board lettered in gilt; the scarce collector's first) and as an Evergreen paperback (common). The foundational anthology of the Beats, Black Mountain, New York School, and San Francisco Renaissance, gathering 215 poems by 44 poets with a preface, statements on poetics, biographical notes, and bibliographies.

## Is this the true first?
US true first; landmark anthology. The cloth hardcover is far scarcer than the ubiquitous Evergreen paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Distinguish the cloth hardcover issue from the common Evergreen paperback; later University of California Press editions are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The New American Poetry 1945–1960* by edited by Donald M. Allen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-new-american-poetry-1945-1960
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.