# Is "Responsibilities: Poems and a Play" by W.B. Yeats a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Responsibilities: Poems and a Play by W.B. Yeats (The Cuala Press, 1914) is identified by: The true first is the Cuala Press (Churchtown, Dundrum), 1914, printed by Elizabeth Corbet Yeats and limited to 400 copies, bound in linen-backed grey boards with the title printed in black on the upper cover and a Cuala/Dun Emer woodcut device; collation [viii], 74, [10] pp (Wade 110). First-thus trap: the Macmillan (London) 1916 'Responsibilities and Other Poems' is a distinct, expanded trade edition (different title, ~1,000 copies) that adds 'The Well and the Tree,' poems from 'The Green Helmet' and the 1912 New York edition, and 'The Hour-Glass' — not a reprint of the Cuala book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the Cuala Press (Churchtown, Dundrum), 1914, printed by Elizabeth Corbet Yeats and limited to 400 copies, bound in linen-backed grey boards with the title printed in black on the upper cover and a Cuala/Dun Emer woodcut device; collation [viii], 74, [10] pp (Wade 110)
- Some copies carry an erratum slip
- It contains the thirty-one 'Responsibilities' poems and a new version of the play 'The Hour-Glass.'
- Publisher imprint reads The Cuala Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W.B. Yeats |
| Publisher | The Cuala Press |
| Year | 1914 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the Cuala Press (Churchtown, Dundrum), 1914, printed by Elizabeth Corbet Yeats and limited to 400 copies, bound in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first is the Cuala Press (Churchtown, Dundrum), 1914, printed by Elizabeth Corbet Yeats and limited to 400 copies, bound in linen-backed grey boards with the title printed in black on the upper cover and a Cuala/Dun Emer woodcut device; collation [viii], 74, [10] pp (Wade 110). Some copies carry an erratum slip. It contains the thirty-one 'Responsibilities' poems and a new version of the play 'The Hour-Glass.'

## Is this the true first?
First-thus trap: the Macmillan (London) 1916 'Responsibilities and Other Poems' is a distinct, expanded trade edition (different title, ~1,000 copies) that adds 'The Well and the Tree,' poems from 'The Green Helmet' and the 1912 New York edition, and 'The Hour-Glass' — not a reprint of the Cuala book. The Cuala Press (Dundrum) 1914 is the true first of 'Responsibilities: Poems and a Play.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Do not conflate the 1916 Macmillan 'Responsibilities and Other Poems' or later collected reprints with the 1914 Cuala first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Responsibilities: Poems and a Play* by W.B. Yeats a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/responsibilities-poems-and-a-play
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.