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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Tempers by William Carlos Williams (Elkin Mathews, 1913) is identified by: Williams's first commercially published book, arranged through Ezra Pound; a small 16mo bound in publisher's pale cream/yellow paper-covered boards, gilt-lettered on the front cover and spine, often originally issued in a glassine wrapper. Elkin Mathews (London) is the true first; Williams's first trade book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Williams's first commercially published book, arranged through Ezra Pound; a small 16mo bound in publisher's pale cream/yellow paper-covered boards, gilt-lettered on the front cover and spine, often originally issued in a glassine wrapper
- Elkin Mathews imprint
- Publisher imprint reads Elkin Mathews
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | Elkin Mathews |
| Year | 1913 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Williams's first commercially published book, arranged through Ezra Pound; a small 16mo… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Williams's first commercially published book, arranged through Ezra Pound; a small 16mo bound in publisher's pale cream/yellow paper-covered boards, gilt-lettered on the front cover and spine, often originally issued in a glassine wrapper. Elkin Mathews imprint.

## Is this the true first?
Elkin Mathews (London) is the true first; Williams's first trade book. No competing US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition relevant to the true first.

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