# Is "The Great American Novel" by William Carlos Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams (Three Mountains Press, 1923) is identified by: First edition, Three Mountains Press, Paris, 1923, limited to 300 numbered copies on Rives hand-made paper, in printed wrappers. Paris / Three Mountains Press; the true first, scarce.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Three Mountains Press, Paris, 1923, limited to 300 numbered copies on Rives hand-made paper, in printed wrappers
- One of the six volumes in Ezra Pound's prose series (the 'Inquest' series)
- Some copies carry a 'Contact Editions' slip tipped to the title page over the press imprint
- Publisher imprint reads Three Mountains Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | Three Mountains Press |
| Year | 1923 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Three Mountains Press, Paris, 1923, limited to 300 numbered copies on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Three Mountains Press, Paris, 1923, limited to 300 numbered copies on Rives hand-made paper, in printed wrappers. One of the six volumes in Ezra Pound's prose series (the 'Inquest' series). Some copies carry a 'Contact Editions' slip tipped to the title page over the press imprint.

## Is this the true first?
Paris / Three Mountains Press; the true first, scarce. No prior or concurrent edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Great American Novel* by William Carlos Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-great-american-novel
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.