The points of issue
First edition published by Copper Canyon Press on April 2, 2019, as a paperback original (ISBN 9781556594861) with a first-printing number line. Won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; National Book Award finalist (2019). The number line advances on later printings.
Is this the true first?
US Copper Canyon Press (2019) paperback is the true first edition. There was no simultaneous cloth issue.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The Copper Canyon hardcover (ISBN 9781556596025) was not published until February 4, 2020, after the original paperback and after the Pulitzer announcement, so it is a later edition, not part of the 2019 first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Tradition a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition published by Copper Canyon Press on April 2, 2019, as a paperback original (ISBN 9781556594861) with a first-printing number line. Won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; National Book Award finalist (2019). The number line advances on later printings.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Copper Canyon Press (2019) paperback is the true first edition. There was no simultaneous cloth issue.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition. The Copper Canyon hardcover (ISBN 9781556596025) was not published until February 4, 2020, after the original paperback and after the Pulitzer announcement, so it is a later edition, not part of the 2019 first.
I have a first edition of The Tradition — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.