# Is "The Winding Stair and Other Poems" by W.B. Yeats a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Winding Stair and Other Poems by W.B. Yeats (Macmillan, 1933) is identified by: The full collection's true first is Macmillan (London), October 1933, in green cloth with T. Two collected editions, differently titled.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W.B. Yeats |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1933 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The full collection's true first is Macmillan (London), October 1933, in green cloth with T. Sturge Moore's design (blind-stamped to the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Winding Stair and Other Poems* by W.B. Yeats a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-winding-stair-and-other-poems
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.