# Is "Excerpts from Visions of Cody" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Excerpts from Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac (New Directions, 1959) is identified by: Signed limited edition of 750 numbered copies signed by Kerouac. This signed/numbered New Directions limited is the true first appearance of any of the text; the signature page is dated December 1959 and the book was issued in January 1960 (copyright 1959).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Signed limited edition of 750 numbered copies signed by Kerouac
- Slim octavo in half purple cloth with white paper boards printed in red and purple (design by Kerouac), silver-stamped spine, reddish-orange endpapers; often with an unprinted acetate wrapper and a New Directions blurb laid in
- A 120-plus page excerpt from the novel later published in full
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Signed limited edition of 750 numbered copies signed by Kerouac |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Signed limited edition of 750 numbered copies signed by Kerouac. Slim octavo in half purple cloth with white paper boards printed in red and purple (design by Kerouac), silver-stamped spine, reddish-orange endpapers; often with an unprinted acetate wrapper and a New Directions blurb laid in. A 120-plus page excerpt from the novel later published in full.

## Is this the true first?
This signed/numbered New Directions limited is the true first appearance of any of the text; the signature page is dated December 1959 and the book was issued in January 1960 (copyright 1959). The full Visions of Cody did not appear until 1972 (McGraw-Hill).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; the numbered limitation signed by Kerouac is the point of issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Excerpts from Visions of Cody* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/excerpts-from-visions-of-cody
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.