# Is "Life Along the Passaic River" by William Carlos Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Life Along the Passaic River by William Carlos Williams (New Directions, 1938) is identified by: First edition of this collection of short fiction (18 stories). US New Directions; no prior edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition of this collection of short fiction (18 stories)
- Oatmeal cloth lettered in black, head edge stained black, in an off-white dust jacket printed in blue
- No prior edition; the New Directions issue is the first
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition of this collection of short fiction (18 stories) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition of this collection of short fiction (18 stories). Oatmeal cloth lettered in black, head edge stained black, in an off-white dust jacket printed in blue. No prior edition; the New Directions issue is the first.

## Is this the true first?
US New Directions; no prior edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Life Along the Passaic River* by William Carlos Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/life-along-the-passaic-river
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.