# Is "Paterson (Book One)" by William Carlos Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Paterson (Book One) by William Carlos Williams (New Directions, 1946) is identified by: First printing of Book One: New Directions, 1946, limited to 1000 copies, printed for New Directions by the Van Vechten Press, Metuchen, New Jersey; bound in beige cloth with black design and gilt lettering, in dust jacket. US New Directions is the true first; no prior UK edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of Book One: New Directions, 1946, limited to 1000 copies, printed for New Directions by the Van Vechten Press, Metuchen, New Jersey; bound in beige cloth with black design and gilt lettering, in dust jacket
- Each of the five Books (1946-1958) is a separate first; the first four were limited to 1000 copies, the fifth to 3000
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | First printing of Book One: New Directions, 1946, limited to 1000 copies, printed for New Directions by the Van Vechten Press, Metuchen… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing of Book One: New Directions, 1946, limited to 1000 copies, printed for New Directions by the Van Vechten Press, Metuchen, New Jersey; bound in beige cloth with black design and gilt lettering, in dust jacket. Each of the five Books (1946-1958) is a separate first; the first four were limited to 1000 copies, the fifth to 3000.

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

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. The one-volume collected 'Paterson' is a later publication.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Paterson (Book One)* by William Carlos Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/paterson-book-one
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.