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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Wedge by William Carlos Williams (The Cummington Press, 1944) is identified by: Fine-press first edition, limited to 380 copies, hand-set in Centaur and Arrighi types on Dacian paper, bound in decorated paste-paper boards. US Cummington Press; scarce fine-press first, no competing edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Fine-press first edition, limited to 380 copies, hand-set in Centaur and Arrighi types on Dacian paper, bound in decorated paste-paper boards
- Contains Williams's important preface (the 'a poem is a small (or large) machine made of words' statement)
- Publisher imprint reads The Cummington Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Carlos Williams |
| Publisher | The Cummington Press |
| Year | 1944 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Fine-press first edition, limited to 380 copies, hand-set in Centaur and Arrighi types on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Fine-press first edition, limited to 380 copies, hand-set in Centaur and Arrighi types on Dacian paper, bound in decorated paste-paper boards. Contains Williams's important preface (the 'a poem is a small (or large) machine made of words' statement). Scarce.

## Is this the true first?
US Cummington Press; scarce fine-press first, no competing edition.

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

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