# Is "Summer and Smoke" by Tennessee Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Summer and Smoke by Tennessee Williams (New Directions, 1948) is identified by: New Directions, New York, 1948, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page. The US New Directions edition of 1948 is the true first; the UK John Lehmann edition is later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New Directions, New York, 1948, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page
- Bound in pale blue cloth with the title stamped in black on the spine; octavo, pp. x + 130, illustrated with black-and-white photographic reproductions of the original production printed on coated paper
- The first-issue dust jacket carries a design by Alvin Lustig and lists three Tennessee Williams plays on the rear flap; the jacket is priced (the printed price should be present, a clipped example lacks it)
- Williams's fifth published play; genuinely uncommon in a clean, complete jacket
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New Directions, New York, 1948, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New Directions, New York, 1948, with "First Edition" stated on the copyright page. Bound in pale blue cloth with the title stamped in black on the spine; octavo, pp. x + 130, illustrated with black-and-white photographic reproductions of the original production printed on coated paper. The first-issue dust jacket carries a design by Alvin Lustig and lists three Tennessee Williams plays on the rear flap; the jacket is priced (the printed price should be present, a clipped example lacks it). Williams's fifth published play; genuinely uncommon in a clean, complete jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US New Directions edition of 1948 is the true first; the UK John Lehmann edition is later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No early book-club issue; later New Directions printings are stated as such on the copyright page and lack the First Edition designation.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Summer and Smoke* by Tennessee Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/summer-and-smoke
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.