# Is "War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984" by Charles Bukowski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984 by Charles Bukowski (Black Sparrow Press, 1984) is identified by: Standard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in cloth, a signed and numbered limited (about 400 copies in khaki boards over blue cloth with spine label and acetate jacket), and a signed deluxe issue with an original painting bound in. The 1984 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; signed numbered and deluxe copies are the premium states.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Standard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in cloth, a signed and numbered limited (about 400 copies in khaki boards over blue cloth with spine label and acetate jacket), and a signed deluxe issue with an original painting bound in
- First-issue points: color title page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Black Sparrow Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Bukowski |
| Publisher | Black Sparrow Press |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Standard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Standard Black Sparrow structure: a trade paperback in wrappers, a trade hardcover in cloth, a signed and numbered limited (about 400 copies in khaki boards over blue cloth with spine label and acetate jacket), and a signed deluxe issue with an original painting bound in. First-issue points: color title page and no later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The 1984 Black Sparrow edition is the true first; signed numbered and deluxe copies are the premium states.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *War All the Time: Poems 1981-1984* by Charles Bukowski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/war-all-the-time-poems-1981-1984
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.