# Is "The Rose Tattoo" by Tennessee Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Rose Tattoo by Tennessee Williams (New Directions, 1951) is identified by: First issue in rose cloth stamped in black, in a pink-and-white dust jacket depicting a rose (design by Alvin Lustig). US New Directions is the true first; the UK Secker & Warburg edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New Directions, 1951
- First issue in rose cloth stamped in black, in a pink-and-white dust jacket depicting a rose (design by Alvin Lustig)
- Dedication reads 'To Frank, in return for Sicily' (for Frank Merlo)
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tennessee Williams |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New Directions, 1951 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New Directions, 1951. First issue in rose cloth stamped in black, in a pink-and-white dust jacket depicting a rose (design by Alvin Lustig). Dedication reads 'To Frank, in return for Sicily' (for Frank Merlo).

## Is this the true first?
US New Directions is the true first; the UK Secker & Warburg edition followed.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Rose Tattoo* by Tennessee Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-rose-tattoo
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.