# Is "A Coney Island of the Mind" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New Directions, 1958) is identified by: Issued both in cloth (in dust jacket) and in wrappers (New Directions Paperbook). New Directions US (1958) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued both in cloth (in dust jacket) and in wrappers (New Directions Paperbook)
- First printing so identified by the copyright page; later printings add printing/impression statements
- The hardcover-in-jacket first is the prime collectible state
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Issued both in cloth (in dust jacket) and in wrappers (New Directions Paperbook) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Issued both in cloth (in dust jacket) and in wrappers (New Directions Paperbook). First printing so identified by the copyright page; later printings add printing/impression statements. The hardcover-in-jacket first is the prime collectible state.

## Is this the true first?
New Directions US (1958) is the true first. The clothbound issue in dust jacket is preferred over the simultaneous paperbook; both are 1958 firsts. One of the best-selling poetry titles of the era, so later printings are common.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book club; the pitfall is the many later New Directions printings. Verify a clean first-printing copyright page and, ideally, the hardcover/jacket state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Coney Island of the Mind* by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-coney-island-of-the-mind
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.