# Is "Thomas and Beulah" by Rita Dove a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Thomas and Beulah by Rita Dove (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1986) is identified by: Won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; Dove was the second African American poet to win. US Carnegie Mellon University Press (1986) is the true first; the clothbound issue is the collector's first, the wrappers the simultaneous trade paperback.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
- Dove was the second African American poet to win
- First printing: Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1986, issued simultaneously in cloth and in trade paper wrappers
- The clothbound issue is the collector's first
- A later dust-jacket state adds a Pulitzer notice to the front panel, so a jacket without that notice is consistent with early issue
- Publisher imprint reads Carnegie Mellon University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rita Dove |
| Publisher | Carnegie Mellon University Press |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; Dove was the second African American poet to win. First printing: Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1986, issued simultaneously in cloth and in trade paper wrappers. The clothbound issue is the collector's first. A later dust-jacket state adds a Pulitzer notice to the front panel, so a jacket without that notice is consistent with early issue.

## Is this the true first?
US Carnegie Mellon University Press (1986) is the true first; the clothbound issue is the collector's first, the wrappers the simultaneous trade paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The first printing carries no later-printing statement; later printings are noted as such.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Thomas and Beulah* by Rita Dove a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/thomas-and-beulah
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.