# Is "East Coker" by T.S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of East Coker by T.S. Eliot (Faber & Faber, 1940) is identified by: First separate edition, a stapled pamphlet in printed wrappers, published by Faber in September 1940. The poem's first appearance was in the New English Weekly supplement (March 1940).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First separate edition, a stapled pamphlet in printed wrappers, published by Faber in September 1940
- Gallup A44
- The poem had already appeared as a supplement to the New English Weekly (Easter/March 1940), so the pamphlet is the first separate Faber edition rather than the poem's very first appearance in print
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T.S. Eliot |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First separate edition, a stapled pamphlet in printed wrappers, published by Faber in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First separate edition, a stapled pamphlet in printed wrappers, published by Faber in September 1940. Gallup A44. The poem had already appeared as a supplement to the New English Weekly (Easter/March 1940), so the pamphlet is the first separate Faber edition rather than the poem's very first appearance in print.

## Is this the true first?
The poem's first appearance was in the New English Weekly supplement (March 1940). The Faber pamphlet (September 1940) is the first separate edition and precedes inclusion in Four Quartets (US 1943; UK 1944).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *East Coker* by T.S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/east-coker
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.