# Is "The Simple Truth" by Philip Levine a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Simple Truth by Philip Levine (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994) is identified by: Won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. US Knopf (1994) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- The true first is the Knopf (Borzoi) hardcover of 1994, identified by 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page together with the Borzoi colophon, issued in a dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Levine |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. The true first is the Knopf (Borzoi) hardcover of 1994, identified by 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page together with the Borzoi colophon, issued in a dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf (1994) is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted. Later printings remove the 'FIRST EDITION' statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Simple Truth* by Philip Levine a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-simple-truth
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.