# Is "The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism" by T.S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism by T.S. Eliot (Faber & Faber, 1933) is identified by: The Charles Eliot Norton lectures delivered at Harvard, 1932-1933. UK Faber (November 1933) is generally taken as the first; the US Harvard University Press edition is also 1933.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Charles Eliot Norton lectures delivered at Harvard, 1932-1933
- First UK Faber edition, November 1933; a US Harvard University Press edition also appeared in 1933
- First printing per Faber convention
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T.S. Eliot |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1933 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Charles Eliot Norton lectures delivered at Harvard, 1932-1933 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Charles Eliot Norton lectures delivered at Harvard, 1932-1933. First UK Faber edition, November 1933; a US Harvard University Press edition also appeared in 1933. First printing per Faber convention.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber (November 1933) is generally taken as the first; the US Harvard University Press edition is also 1933. Prose.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism* by T.S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-use-of-poetry-and-the-use-of-criticism
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.