Is My Copy of The Winding Stair and Other Poems a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The full collection's true first is Macmillan (London), October 1933, in green cloth with T. Sturge Moore's design (blind-stamped to the upper board, gilt to the spine) and the matching Sturge Moore pictorial dust jacket; a second impression followed in December 1933, and a Macmillan New York trade edition also appeared in 1933 after the London
• It was preceded in part by 'The Winding Stair' (The Fountain Press, New York, 1929), a signed limited edition of 642 copies (600 signed by Yeats on the half-title), designed by Frederic Warde and printed by William Edwin Rudge in blue cloth with a red morocco spine label
• That 1929 volume carries only a partial selection of the eventual contents, so both books are collected as distinct firsts

How Macmillan marked a first edition

• UK Macmillan, mid-1920s onward: London Macmillan states 'First published (Year)' on the copyright/verso page of a first edition, with later printings adding 'Reprinted (Year)' lines beneath. A first shows the…

Full Macmillan first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Two collected editions, differently titled. 'The Winding Stair' (Fountain Press, New York, 1929, signed limited, partial contents) precedes and is not identical to the complete 'The Winding Stair and Other Poems' (Macmillan, London, 1933). The Macmillan London 1933 is the true first of the full collection and precedes the Macmillan New York 1933 trade issue.P-044788

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The December 1933 second impression and the 1933 Macmillan New York issue are not the London first. No book-club edition documented; beware later Macmillan collected/reprint appearances of the sequence.P-044789

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Winding Stair and Other Poems a first edition?

A first edition of The Winding Stair and Other Poems by W.B. Yeats (Macmillan) is identified by: The full collection's true first is Macmillan (London), October 1933, in green cloth with T. Sturge Moore's design (blind-stamped to the upper board, gilt to the spine) and the matching Sturge Moore pictorial dust jacket; a second impression followed in December 1933, and a Macmillan New York trade edition also appeared in 1933 after the London.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. Two collected editions, differently titled.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The December 1933 second impression and the 1933 Macmillan New York issue are not the London first. No book-club edition documented; beware later Macmillan collected/reprint appearances of the sequence.

I have a first edition of The Winding Stair and Other Poems — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.