# Is "Esthétique du Mal" by Wallace Stevens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Esthétique du Mal by Wallace Stevens (Cummington Press, 1945) is identified by: Fine-press hand-printed first edition of 340 copies total, with pen-and-ink drawings by Wightman Williams. US Cummington Press first edition; the first separate appearance of the poem, before its collection in Transport to Summer (1947).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Fine-press hand-printed first edition of 340 copies total, with pen-and-ink drawings by Wightman Williams
- Within the edition a small signed issue of 40 copies was signed by both Stevens and Williams on Van Gelder paper with hand-colored illustrations; the ordinary copies are quarter black leather over straw-paper boards
- Publisher imprint reads Cummington Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stevens |
| Publisher | Cummington Press |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Fine-press hand-printed first edition of 340 copies total, with pen-and-ink drawings by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Fine-press hand-printed first edition of 340 copies total, with pen-and-ink drawings by Wightman Williams. Within the edition a small signed issue of 40 copies was signed by both Stevens and Williams on Van Gelder paper with hand-colored illustrations; the ordinary copies are quarter black leather over straw-paper boards.

## Is this the true first?
US Cummington Press first edition; the first separate appearance of the poem, before its collection in Transport to Summer (1947).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Esthétique du Mal* by Wallace Stevens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/esth-tique-du-mal
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.