# Is "Ara Vos Prec" by T.S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ara Vos Prec by T.S. Eliot (The Ovid Press, 1920) is identified by: Limited edition of 264 copies (plus smaller signed sub-issues on vellum and large paper). UK Ovid Press.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Limited edition of 264 copies (plus smaller signed sub-issues on vellum and large paper)
- The title is misprinted 'Ara Vus Prec' on the TITLE PAGE; the error was caught in time so the spine label correctly reads 'Ara Vos Prec.' Eliot corrected the title-page misprint by hand in some signed copies
- Publisher imprint reads The Ovid Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T.S. Eliot |
| Publisher | The Ovid Press |
| Year | 1920 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Limited edition of 264 copies (plus smaller signed sub-issues on vellum and large paper) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Limited edition of 264 copies (plus smaller signed sub-issues on vellum and large paper). The title is misprinted 'Ara Vus Prec' on the TITLE PAGE; the error was caught in time so the spine label correctly reads 'Ara Vos Prec.' Eliot corrected the title-page misprint by hand in some signed copies.

## Is this the true first?
UK Ovid Press. The US counterpart, Knopf's 'Poems' (New York, 1920), is a closely related near-simultaneous issue but a distinct book with different contents order and substitutions (e.g. Hysteria for Ode). Signed vellum and large-paper copies are the premium sub-issues.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ara Vos Prec* by T.S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ara-vos-prec
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.