# Is "Sweeney Agonistes" by T.S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sweeney Agonistes by T.S. Eliot (Faber & Faber, 1932) is identified by: First edition, 'Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama,' in paper-covered boards with dust jacket, octavo. UK Faber; there was no American edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, 'Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama,' in paper-covered boards with dust jacket, octavo
- First issue in light-blue boards (not blue-green)
- Gallup A23
- First printing per Faber convention (date on title, no later-printing line)
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T.S. Eliot |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, 'Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama,' in paper-covered boards with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, 'Fragments of an Aristophanic Melodrama,' in paper-covered boards with dust jacket, octavo. First issue in light-blue boards (not blue-green). Gallup A23. First printing per Faber convention (date on title, no later-printing line).

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber; there was no American edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sweeney Agonistes* by T.S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sweeney-agonistes
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.