The points of issue
Doubleday & Company first edition, 1953, with the first-edition statement on the copyright page; cloth in dust jacket. Awarded the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
Is this the true first?
US true first and a 'first thus' selected/new poems gathering; Pulitzer winner. Some jackets carry a Pulitzer Prize Winner sticker, which postdates the award and does not affect first-printing status.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later printings drop the first-edition statement from the copyright page.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Waking: Poems 1933–1953 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Doubleday & Company first edition, 1953, with the first-edition statement on the copyright page; cloth in dust jacket. Awarded the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.
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 true first and a 'first thus' selected/new poems gathering; Pulitzer winner. Some jackets carry a Pulitzer Prize Winner sticker, which postdates the award and does not affect first-printing status.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition. Later printings drop the first-edition statement from the copyright page.
I have a first edition of The Waking: Poems 1933–1953 — 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.