# Is "Dragon Country: A Book of Plays" by Tennessee Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dragon Country: A Book of Plays by Tennessee Williams (New Directions, 1970) is identified by: First edition, New Directions, New York, 1970 (Crandell A37.1.a). US New Directions 1970 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, New Directions, New York, 1970 (Crandell A37.1.a)
- Hardbound issue in blue cloth-covered boards with spine titling in orange and a dust jacket
- A New Directions paperbook (NDP287) was issued simultaneously in wrappers
- Collection of shorter and experimental plays
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, New Directions, New York, 1970 (Crandell A37.1.a) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, New Directions, New York, 1970 (Crandell A37.1.a). Hardbound issue in blue cloth-covered boards with spine titling in orange and a dust jacket. A New Directions paperbook (NDP287) was issued simultaneously in wrappers. Collection of shorter and experimental plays.

## Is this the true first?
US New Directions 1970 is the true first. Cloth and paperbook wrappers were issued simultaneously.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dragon Country: A Book of Plays* by Tennessee Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dragon-country-a-book-of-plays
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.