# Is "Gasoline" by Gregory Corso a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gasoline by Gregory Corso (City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 8, 1958) is identified by: City Lights Books, San Francisco, February 1958, as The Pocket Poets Series No. The City Lights US edition of 1958 is the true first; there is no separate UK first of equal standing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- City Lights Books, San Francisco, February 1958, as The Pocket Poets Series No
- 8; perfect-bound in printed wrappers of roughly 5 by 6.25 inches, 48 pages, with an introduction by Allen Ginsberg
- The first printing of 1,500 copies was printed by the Pinchpenny Press, Berkeley; the front wrapper prints 'Number Eight' in the series within its red panel, and the first issue carries the original printed price on the rear wrapper (present on an unmarked copy)
- Later printings are identified by a printing statement added to the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 8
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gregory Corso |
| Publisher | City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 8 |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | City Lights Books, San Francisco, February 1958, as The Pocket Poets Series No |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
City Lights Books, San Francisco, February 1958, as The Pocket Poets Series No. 8; perfect-bound in printed wrappers of roughly 5 by 6.25 inches, 48 pages, with an introduction by Allen Ginsberg. The first printing of 1,500 copies was printed by the Pinchpenny Press, Berkeley; the front wrapper prints 'Number Eight' in the series within its red panel, and the first issue carries the original printed price on the rear wrapper (present on an unmarked copy). Later printings are identified by a printing statement added to the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The City Lights US edition of 1958 is the true first; there is no separate UK first of equal standing. Copies inscribed or signed by Corso or Ginsberg are especially desirable.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club title. Confirm Pocket Poets No. 8 on the front wrapper and the absence of a later-printing statement on the copyright page to distinguish the first printing from subsequent City Lights printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gasoline* by Gregory Corso a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gasoline
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.