# Is "A Far Rockaway of the Heart" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Far Rockaway of the Heart by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New Directions, 1997) is identified by: Red cloth hardcover in gray photographic dust jacket, issued alongside a New Directions Paperbook. True first is the 1997 New Directions issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Red cloth hardcover in gray photographic dust jacket, issued alongside a New Directions Paperbook
- First edition is identified by the copyright-page publication statement dated 1997 ('First published clothbound and as a New Directions Paperbook in 1997') with no later printing noted
- This is the companion sequel to 'A Coney Island of the Mind.'
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Red cloth hardcover in gray photographic dust jacket, issued alongside a New Directions… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Red cloth hardcover in gray photographic dust jacket, issued alongside a New Directions Paperbook. First edition is identified by the copyright-page publication statement dated 1997 ('First published clothbound and as a New Directions Paperbook in 1997') with no later printing noted. This is the companion sequel to 'A Coney Island of the Mind.'

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1997 New Directions issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Far Rockaway of the Heart* by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-far-rockaway-of-the-heart
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.