# Is "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" by Tennessee Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore by Tennessee Williams (New Directions, 1964) is identified by: Cloth in dust jacket; New York, New Directions, 1964. US New Directions 1964 is the true first edition in book form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth in dust jacket
- New York, New Directions, 1964
- First issue carries the original page layout; only a small number of copies were bound with that layout before it was largely suppressed and reset
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth in dust jacket; New York, New Directions, 1964. First issue carries the original page layout; only a small number of copies were bound with that layout before it was largely suppressed and reset.

## Is this the true first?
US New Directions 1964 is the true first edition in book form. No published 1963 book edition precedes it; the 1963 date refers to the play's Broadway premiere of an earlier stage version, which Williams revised for the 1964 publication. A separate Dramatists Play Service acting edition also exists.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore* by Tennessee Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-milk-train-doesnt-stop-here-anymore
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.