# Is "The Lost Son and Other Poems" by Theodore Roethke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lost Son and Other Poems by Theodore Roethke (Doubleday, 1948) is identified by: First edition, Doubleday & Company, 1948, 64 pages, small octavo, in publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, issued in a pictorial dust jacket. The US Doubleday edition of 1948 is the true first; the John Lehmann UK edition (London, 1949, 62 pages) follows and does not precede.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Doubleday & Company, 1948, 64 pages, small octavo, in publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, issued in a pictorial dust jacket
- The first printing carries the words First Edition stated on the copyright page per Doubleday convention, with the printed price present on the jacket flap
- Roethke's second collection
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Theodore Roethke |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Doubleday & Company, 1948, 64 pages, small octavo, in publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, issued in a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Doubleday & Company, 1948, 64 pages, small octavo, in publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, issued in a pictorial dust jacket. The first printing carries the words First Edition stated on the copyright page per Doubleday convention, with the printed price present on the jacket flap. Roethke's second collection.

## Is this the true first?
The US Doubleday edition of 1948 is the true first; the John Lehmann UK edition (London, 1949, 62 pages) follows and does not precede.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition for the first; later states lack the stated First Edition line and the original jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lost Son and Other Poems* by Theodore Roethke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lost-son-and-other-poems
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.