# Is "Dinners and Nightmares" by Diane di Prima a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dinners and Nightmares by Diane di Prima (Corinth Books, 1961) is identified by: Corinth Books (New York), 1961. True first is the 1961 Corinth Books wrappered original.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Corinth Books (New York), 1961
- Di Prima's first collection of prose and poems, issued in printed wrappers designed by Remy Charlip, 94 pages
- First printing carries no later-printing statement; expanded later editions are distinct
- Publisher imprint reads Corinth Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Diane di Prima |
| Publisher | Corinth Books |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Corinth Books (New York), 1961 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Corinth Books (New York), 1961. Di Prima's first collection of prose and poems, issued in printed wrappers designed by Remy Charlip, 94 pages. First printing carries no later-printing statement; expanded later editions are distinct.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1961 Corinth Books wrappered original. Later expanded editions add material and are not the first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dinners and Nightmares* by Diane di Prima a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dinners-and-nightmares
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.