# Is "Memoirs" by Tennessee Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Memoirs by Tennessee Williams (Doubleday, 1975) is identified by: Doubleday, Garden City, 1975. US Doubleday 1975 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday, Garden City, 1975
- First edition stated on the copyright page (later Doubleday printings drop the statement)
- Trade issue in half black cloth with illustrated dust jacket; profusely illustrated with photographs
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday, Garden City, 1975 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday, Garden City, 1975. First edition stated on the copyright page (later Doubleday printings drop the statement). Trade issue in half black cloth with illustrated dust jacket; profusely illustrated with photographs.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday 1975 is the true first. UK W.H. Allen followed in 1976. A signed limited edition, slipcased and signed on the limitation page, was issued alongside the trade edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Doubleday printings drop the First Edition statement. No early book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Memoirs* by Tennessee Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/memoirs
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.