# Is "The Necessary Angel" by Wallace Stevens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Necessary Angel by Wallace Stevens (Alfred A. Knopf, 1951) is identified by: First edition, Knopf, of Stevens's self-selected prose essays on reality and the imagination; the first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US Knopf first edition precedes the Faber and Faber UK edition (1960).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Knopf, of Stevens's self-selected prose essays on reality and the imagination; the first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stevens |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Knopf, of Stevens's self-selected prose essays on reality and the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Knopf, of Stevens's self-selected prose essays on reality and the imagination; the first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf first edition precedes the Faber and Faber UK edition (1960). Prose rather than verse, but the true first appearance of the collection.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Necessary Angel* by Wallace Stevens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-necessary-angel
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.