# Is "The Past" by Galway Kinnell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Past by Galway Kinnell (Houghton Mifflin, 1985) is identified by: First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1985, cloth with dust jacket. US Houghton Mifflin, 1985.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1985, cloth with dust jacket
- First printing indicated by the number line, per Houghton Mifflin convention of the 1980s
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Galway Kinnell |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1985, cloth with dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1985, cloth with dust jacket. First printing indicated by the number line, per Houghton Mifflin convention of the 1980s.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin, 1985.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Past* by Galway Kinnell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-past
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.