# Is "Dead Fingers Talk" by William S. Burroughs a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dead Fingers Talk by William S. Burroughs (John Calder / Olympia Press, 1963) is identified by: Cloth in dust jacket (jacket designed by Ian Sommerville); first printing with no later printings stated. True first is the 1963 John Calder in association with Olympia Press London hardcover, a UK-only original never issued or translated outside the UK until the 2020 restored edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth in dust jacket (jacket designed by Ian Sommerville); first printing with no later printings stated
- Composite text drawn from Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine, and The Ticket That Exploded
- Publisher imprint reads John Calder / Olympia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs |
| Publisher | John Calder / Olympia Press |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth in dust jacket (jacket designed by Ian Sommerville); first printing with no later… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth in dust jacket (jacket designed by Ian Sommerville); first printing with no later printings stated. Composite text drawn from Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine, and The Ticket That Exploded.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1963 John Calder in association with Olympia Press London hardcover, a UK-only original never issued or translated outside the UK until the 2020 restored edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dead Fingers Talk* by William S. Burroughs a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dead-fingers-talk
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.