# Is "Ash-Wednesday" by T. S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ash-Wednesday by T. S. Eliot (The Fountain Press, 1930) is identified by: The signed limited edition of 1930 precedes the Faber trade edition. The 600-copy signed limited edition (1930, split between the American Fountain Press issue and the British Faber issue) precedes the Faber trade edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The signed limited edition of 1930 precedes the Faber trade edition
- The limitation totaled 600 copies, all signed by Eliot and numbered: 400 copies for The Fountain Press in America and 200 copies for Faber in Britain
- The true first is identified by the signed limitation leaf
- The Faber trade edition, also 1930, follows and lacks the signature and limitation
- Publisher imprint reads The Fountain Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T. S. Eliot |
| Publisher | The Fountain Press |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | The signed limited edition of 1930 precedes the Faber trade edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The signed limited edition of 1930 precedes the Faber trade edition. The limitation totaled 600 copies, all signed by Eliot and numbered: 400 copies for The Fountain Press in America and 200 copies for Faber in Britain. The true first is identified by the signed limitation leaf. The Faber trade edition, also 1930, follows and lacks the signature and limitation.

## Is this the true first?
The 600-copy signed limited edition (1930, split between the American Fountain Press issue and the British Faber issue) precedes the Faber trade edition. It is inaccurate to call the limited a purely US Fountain Press book: the limitation was shared, with 400 copies for America and 200 for Britain, all signed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The trade edition is distinguished from the limited by the absence of the signed, numbered limitation leaf.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ash-Wednesday* by T. S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ash-wednesday
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.