# Is "Why I Wake Early" by Mary Oliver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver (Beacon Press, 2004) is identified by: Full title Why I Wake Early: New Poems, gathering forty-seven new poems. US Beacon Press is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Full title Why I Wake Early: New Poems, gathering forty-seven new poems
- First edition, Beacon Press (Boston), 2004, in green cloth lettered in silver, with a dust jacket designed by Sara Eisenman and its printed price present
- First printing follows the publisher's number-line convention
- Publisher imprint reads Beacon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Oliver |
| Publisher | Beacon Press |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Full title Why I Wake Early: New Poems, gathering forty-seven new poems |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Full title Why I Wake Early: New Poems, gathering forty-seven new poems. First edition, Beacon Press (Boston), 2004, in green cloth lettered in silver, with a dust jacket designed by Sara Eisenman and its printed price present. First printing follows the publisher's number-line convention.

## Is this the true first?
US Beacon Press is the true first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Why I Wake Early* by Mary Oliver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/why-i-wake-early
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.