# Is "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Tennessee Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams (New Directions, 1955) is identified by: First printing has NO reference on the copyright page to the prior appearance of the preface in the New York Times, and NO Joseph Mielziner (and Lucinda Ballard) production credit on page xii; both are added in later printings (the key Crandell points). US New Directions 1955 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has NO reference on the copyright page to the prior appearance of the preface in the New York Times, and NO Joseph Mielziner (and Lucinda Ballard) production credit on page xii; both are added in later printings (the key Crandell points)
- Contains two versions of Act Three (Williams' original plus the Broadway revision) with Williams' 'Note of Explanation.' Alvin Lustig-designed dust jacket, the printed price intact; brown cloth with black spine lettering
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has NO reference on the copyright page to the prior appearance of the preface in the New York Times, and NO Joseph Mielziner… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing has NO reference on the copyright page to the prior appearance of the preface in the New York Times, and NO Joseph Mielziner (and Lucinda Ballard) production credit on page xii; both are added in later printings (the key Crandell points). Contains two versions of Act Three (Williams' original plus the Broadway revision) with Williams' 'Note of Explanation.' Alvin Lustig-designed dust jacket, the printed price intact; brown cloth with black spine lettering.

## Is this the true first?
US New Directions 1955 is the true first. Pulitzer Prize 1955. The presence of both third-act versions is intrinsic to the first edition, not a later addition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the New York Times citation to the copyright page and the Mielziner/Ballard credit on page xii; the first printing lacks both. Verify against Crandell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cat on a Hot Tin Roof* by Tennessee Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof
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.