# Is "The Shadow of Sirius" by W. S. Merwin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Shadow of Sirius by W. S. Merwin (Copper Canyon Press, 2008) is identified by: Won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Merwin's second. US Copper Canyon Press (2008) is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Merwin's second
- First printing: Copper Canyon Press, 2008, identified by the publisher's number line on the copyright page
- Note that Copper Canyon's line counts down to 2 on a first printing rather than to 1, so the lowest number present being 2 is the first-printing point; the line advances on later printings
- Issued in cloth with dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Copper Canyon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. S. Merwin |
| Publisher | Copper Canyon Press |
| Year | 2008 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Merwin's second |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Merwin's second. First printing: Copper Canyon Press, 2008, identified by the publisher's number line on the copyright page. Note that Copper Canyon's line counts down to 2 on a first printing rather than to 1, so the lowest number present being 2 is the first-printing point; the line advances on later printings. Issued in cloth with dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Copper Canyon Press (2008) is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. First printing shown by the number line bottoming out at 2; later printings raise that low number.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Shadow of Sirius* by W. S. Merwin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-shadow-of-sirius
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.