# Is "Doctor Sax" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Doctor Sax by Jack Kerouac (Grove Press, 1959) is identified by: Grove Press, New York, 1959, issued simultaneously in two states: a clothbound hardcover issue in gray cloth with gilt spine lettering, and a wrappered paperback issue (the Evergreen Original, designated E-160) in publisher's wrappers lettered in red, gray, and white over black. Grove Press US (1959) is the true first, written by Kerouac in Mexico City in 1952 but published only after the success of On the Road.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Grove Press, New York, 1959, issued simultaneously in two states: a clothbound hardcover issue in gray cloth with gilt spine lettering, and a wrappered paperback issue (the Evergreen Original, designated E-160) in publisher's wrappers lettered in red, gray, and white over black
- The hardcover first issue wears the famous pictorial dust jacket printed in red, gray, black and white; a first-issue jacket should retain its printed price intact on the flap (unclipped)
- The first printing is identified by a copyright page carrying no later-printing notice
- The clothbound issue is markedly scarcer than the wrappered issue
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Grove Press, New York, 1959, issued simultaneously in two states: a clothbound hardcover issue in gray cloth with gilt spine lettering, and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Grove Press, New York, 1959, issued simultaneously in two states: a clothbound hardcover issue in gray cloth with gilt spine lettering, and a wrappered paperback issue (the Evergreen Original, designated E-160) in publisher's wrappers lettered in red, gray, and white over black. The hardcover first issue wears the famous pictorial dust jacket printed in red, gray, black and white; a first-issue jacket should retain its printed price intact on the flap (unclipped). The first printing is identified by a copyright page carrying no later-printing notice. The clothbound issue is markedly scarcer than the wrappered issue.

## Is this the true first?
Grove Press US (1959) is the true first, written by Kerouac in Mexico City in 1952 but published only after the success of On the Road. The clothbound and wrappered (Evergreen E-160) issues were released simultaneously, the cloth issue being the scarcer. Confirm the Grove imprint and a first-printing copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book club. Distinguish the first printing via the copyright page (no later-printing statement) and, on the hardcover, the first-issue pictorial jacket with its printed flap price present.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Doctor Sax* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/doctor-sax
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.