The Wasted Territory T. S. Eliot's epic poem The Waste Land is widely recognized as one of the most important poems of the twentieth century and a key work of modernist poetry. It was written over a period of several months in 1922–23. Eliot wrote that he had been "working at waste lands since 1920". The title alludes to the biblical phrase "loosed for destruction", which describes the state of the world after Noah's Flood. In addition, the term "wasteland" also has a secondary meaning that refers to unclaimed land. Specifically, it is land that is not owned by any person or entity and can be used freely without restriction. In a letter to James Joyce, Eliot described The Waste Land as "a piece of masonry with some lyrics scratched on it". It is uncertain what kind of stone was used because there are no extant records describing the acquisition or disposal of the cemetery property where it is believed the poem was composed. The manuscript of The Waste Land is housed in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Eliot published three versions of the poem. The first edition was issued in March 1923 by his own firm, Faber & Gwyer, along with seven other new poets then working within the formal structures of modernism.