# Is "Parts of a World" by Wallace Stevens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Parts of a World by Wallace Stevens (Alfred A. Knopf, 1942) is identified by: First edition, Knopf (New York), 1942, one of 1,000 copies of the first printing, with the Borzoi device on the copyright page and 'First Edition' stated; the first printing carries no later-printing or reprint statement. US Knopf first edition; no prior or competing edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Knopf (New York), 1942, one of 1,000 copies of the first printing, with the Borzoi device on the copyright page and 'First Edition' stated; the first printing carries no later-printing or reprint statement
- Bound in blue cloth, stamped in blind on the front with the spine lettered in gilt (binding design by W. A. Dwiggins), with brown topstain, octavo, [4], x, 182, [4] pp
- Issued in dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap
- Recorded as Edelstein A5.a.1
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stevens |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Knopf (New York), 1942, one of 1,000 copies of the first printing, with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Knopf (New York), 1942, one of 1,000 copies of the first printing, with the Borzoi device on the copyright page and 'First Edition' stated; the first printing carries no later-printing or reprint statement. Bound in blue cloth, stamped in blind on the front with the spine lettered in gilt (binding design by W. A. Dwiggins), with brown topstain, octavo, [4], x, 182, [4] pp. Issued in dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap. Recorded as Edelstein A5.a.1.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf first edition; no prior or competing edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Parts of a World* by Wallace Stevens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/parts-of-a-world
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.