The points of issue
Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award. The Wesleyan University Press first edition (2009, distributed by University Press of New England) appeared in both a clothbound issue and a simultaneous paperback in the Wesleyan Poetry Series; the cloth issue is the collector's first. Confirm the first printing by the number line on the copyright page.
Is this the true first?
US Wesleyan University Press (2009) is the true first; the clothbound issue is the preferred collector's first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Versed a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award. The Wesleyan University Press first edition (2009, distributed by University Press of New England) appeared in both a clothbound issue and a simultaneous paperback in the Wesleyan Poetry Series; the cloth issue is the collector's first. Confirm the first printing by the number line on the copyright page.
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 Wesleyan University Press (2009) is the true first; the clothbound issue is the preferred collector's first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition.
I have a first edition of Versed — 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.