# Is "Sour Grapes" by William Carlos Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sour Grapes by William Carlos Williams (The Four Seas Company, 1921) is identified by: First edition, The Four Seas Company, Boston, 1921, one of 1000 copies printed, bound in green paper boards with a printed paper spine label. US Four Seas edition of 1921 is the true first; no prior edition and no earlier UK printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, The Four Seas Company, Boston, 1921, one of 1000 copies printed, bound in green paper boards with a printed paper spine label
- The dust jacket is scarce
- Cataloged as Wallace A5
- An early collection that includes "To Waken an Old Lady," "The Widow's Lament in Springtime," and "The Great Figure."
- Publisher imprint reads The Four Seas Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | The Four Seas Company |
| Year | 1921 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, The Four Seas Company, Boston, 1921, one of 1000 copies printed, bound in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, The Four Seas Company, Boston, 1921, one of 1000 copies printed, bound in green paper boards with a printed paper spine label. The dust jacket is scarce. Cataloged as Wallace A5. An early collection that includes "To Waken an Old Lady," "The Widow's Lament in Springtime," and "The Great Figure."

## Is this the true first?
US Four Seas edition of 1921 is the true first; no prior edition and no earlier UK printing.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sour Grapes* by William Carlos Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sour-grapes
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.