The points of issue
Won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (Glück later received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature). The true first is the Ecco Press hardcover of 1992 (Hopewell, NJ), with 'first edition' stated on the copyright page, bound in yellow boards with a cloth backstrip lettered in gilt and a pictorial dust jacket. A first paperback printing was also issued.
Is this the true first?
US Ecco (1992) is the true first; the clothbacked hardback in dust jacket is the collector's first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Wild Iris a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (Glück later received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature). The true first is the Ecco Press hardcover of 1992 (Hopewell, NJ), with 'first edition' stated on the copyright page, bound in yellow boards with a cloth backstrip lettered in gilt and a pictorial dust jacket. A first paperback printing was also issued.
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 Ecco (1992) is the true first; the clothbacked hardback in dust jacket is the collector's first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition noted.
I have a first edition of The Wild Iris — 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.