# Is "The Clouds" by William Carlos Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Clouds by William Carlos Williams (The Wells College Press / The Cummington Press, 1948) is identified by: Limited fine-press edition of 310 numbered copies, jointly produced by the Wells College Press (Aurora, NY) and the Cummington Press (Cummington, MA). US fine-press first (Wells College Press / Cummington Press), 1948.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Limited fine-press edition of 310 numbered copies, jointly produced by the Wells College Press (Aurora, NY) and the Cummington Press (Cummington, MA)
- Of the 310, sixty Roman-numeraled copies were printed on handmade paper and signed by Williams; the remaining copies were on all-rag paper and unsigned
- Gray cloth with a printed paper spine label; issued in a publisher's slipcase
- The full title as printed reads 'The Clouds, Aigeltinger, Russia, &c.'
- Publisher imprint reads The Wells College Press / The Cummington Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | The Wells College Press / The Cummington Press |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Limited fine-press edition of 310 numbered copies, jointly produced by the Wells College… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Limited fine-press edition of 310 numbered copies, jointly produced by the Wells College Press (Aurora, NY) and the Cummington Press (Cummington, MA). Of the 310, sixty Roman-numeraled copies were printed on handmade paper and signed by Williams; the remaining copies were on all-rag paper and unsigned. Gray cloth with a printed paper spine label; issued in a publisher's slipcase. The full title as printed reads 'The Clouds, Aigeltinger, Russia, &c.'

## Is this the true first?
US fine-press first (Wells College Press / Cummington Press), 1948. Scarce limited edition; the sixty signed handmade-paper copies are the premium state.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Clouds* by William Carlos Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-clouds
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.