# Is "Words for the Wind" by Theodore Roethke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Words for the Wind by Theodore Roethke (Secker & Warburg, 1957) is identified by: True first is the UK Secker & Warburg edition (1957), which precedes the US Doubleday edition (1958). UK Secker & Warburg (1957) PRECEDES the US Doubleday edition (1958) by roughly a year — a genuine precedence point.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the UK Secker & Warburg edition
- , which precedes the US Doubleday edition
- Some UK copies were issued with a Poetry Book Society supplement laid in
- The US Doubleday printing followed the next year
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Theodore Roethke |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the UK Secker & Warburg edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the UK Secker & Warburg edition (1957), which precedes the US Doubleday edition (1958). Some UK copies were issued with a Poetry Book Society supplement laid in. The US Doubleday printing followed the next year.

## Is this the true first?
UK Secker & Warburg (1957) PRECEDES the US Doubleday edition (1958) by roughly a year — a genuine precedence point. Contents are essentially the same.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Words for the Wind* by Theodore Roethke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/words-for-the-wind
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.