How to identify a first printing
- Modern convention: copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a descending number line (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); the lowest number present indicates the printing — a first shows '1'.
- First printing has no additional printing/date notice beyond the stated first.
- Earliest Graywolf (late 1970s Port Townsend era) included letterpress/limited chapbooks with rear colophons — identified by limitation statement rather than a number line.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1974 by Scott Walker (with Kathleen Foster) in Port Townsend, WA — literally in space provided by Copper Canyon Press; relocated to Saint Paul, Minnesota (1984).
- Now a major nonprofit literary press (distributed via Macmillan/FSG): poetry, fiction, essays — Tracy K. Smith, Claudia Rankine's Citizen, Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts.
- Citizen (2014) went through many printings rapidly — number line is the practical way to separate first from later printings.
- Because of Macmillan distribution, later printings follow standard trade number-line conventions.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Graywolf Rediscovery, Graywolf Poetry / Graywolf Nonfiction Prize titles. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Graywolf Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Modern convention: copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a descending number line (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); the lowest number present indicates the printing — a first shows '1'. First printing has no additional printing/date notice beyond the stated first.
Does Graywolf Press use a number line?
First printing has no additional printing/date notice beyond the stated first.
Is a book-club edition a Graywolf Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1974 by Scott Walker (with Kathleen Foster) in Port Townsend, WA — literally in space provided by Copper Canyon Press; relocated to Saint Paul, Minnesota (1984).
What era does this cover?
This covers Graywolf Press (1974–present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Graywolf Press titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- 3 Sections (Vijay Seshadri, 2013)
- frank: sonnets (Diane Seuss, 2021)
- Life on Mars (Tracy K. Smith, 2011)
- Owning It All (William Kittredge, 1987)
- Postcolonial Love Poem (Natalie Diaz, 2020)
- We Are Not in This Together (William Kittredge, 1984)