# Is "When One Has Lived a Long Time Alone" by Galway Kinnell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of When One Has Lived a Long Time Alone by Galway Kinnell (Alfred A. Knopf, 1990) is identified by: First edition, Alfred A. US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1990, cloth with dust jacket
- First printing carries the 'First Edition' statement with the number line intact on the copyright page, per Knopf convention
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Galway Kinnell |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1990, cloth with dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 1990, cloth with dust jacket. First printing carries the 'First Edition' statement with the number line intact on the copyright page, per Knopf convention.

## Is this the true first?
US Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *When One Has Lived a Long Time Alone* by Galway Kinnell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/when-one-has-lived-a-long-time-alone
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.