Papers - the first editions (7)
I believe the answer is:
tissues
'papers' is the definition.
(tissue is a kind of paper)
'the first editions' is the wordplay.
'the first' becomes 't' (1st letter of 'the').
'editions' becomes 'issues' (I've seen this before).
't'+'issues'='TISSUES'
(Other definitions for tissues that I've seen before include "Paper handkerchiefs" , "not to be sneezed at? Au contraire!" , "Soft, thin pieces of paper" , "Paper hankies" , "Thin skins or papers" .)