# Is "Myths & Texts" by Gary Snyder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Myths & Texts by Gary Snyder (Totem Press, 1960) is identified by: First edition in stapled pictorial wrappers, New York, 1960, under the Totem Press imprint in association with Corinth Books; the volume was recommended into the Corinth list by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) for publisher Ted Wilentz. The true first is the 1960 Totem Press / Corinth Books wrappered original in stapled wrappers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in stapled pictorial wrappers, New York, 1960, under the Totem Press imprint in association with Corinth Books; the volume was recommended into the Corinth list by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) for publisher Ted Wilentz
- It gathers the three sequences 'Logging,' 'Hunting,' and 'Burning.' First-issue points, per Katherine McNeil's 'Gary Snyder: A Bibliography,' are the publisher's name and address present on the copyright page, non-glossy (matte) wrappers, and black printing to the front cover
- Publisher imprint reads Totem Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gary Snyder |
| Publisher | Totem Press |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in stapled pictorial wrappers, New York, 1960, under the Totem Press imprint in association with Corinth Books; the volume… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition in stapled pictorial wrappers, New York, 1960, under the Totem Press imprint in association with Corinth Books; the volume was recommended into the Corinth list by LeRoi Jones (Amiri Baraka) for publisher Ted Wilentz. It gathers the three sequences 'Logging,' 'Hunting,' and 'Burning.' First-issue points, per Katherine McNeil's 'Gary Snyder: A Bibliography,' are the publisher's name and address present on the copyright page, non-glossy (matte) wrappers, and black printing to the front cover.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the 1960 Totem Press / Corinth Books wrappered original in stapled wrappers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no book club edition; the New Directions edition (1978) is a later reset reprint, not the first. Later printings within the wrappered form can be distinguished by the McNeil points (copyright-page imprint detail, wrapper finish, and front-cover printing).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Myths & Texts* by Gary Snyder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/myths-texts
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.