# Is "Lonesome Traveler" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lonesome Traveler by Jack Kerouac (McGraw-Hill, 1960) is identified by: Cloth-backed boards in dust jacket; charcoal drawings and jacket design by Larry Rivers. True first is the 1960 McGraw-Hill hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth-backed boards in dust jacket; charcoal drawings and jacket design by Larry Rivers
- First edition; a first-printing copy shows no statement of later printings on the copyright page
- Dust jacket priced 4.50 at the top of the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads McGraw-Hill
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-backed boards in dust jacket; charcoal drawings and jacket design by Larry Rivers |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth-backed boards in dust jacket; charcoal drawings and jacket design by Larry Rivers. First edition; a first-printing copy shows no statement of later printings on the copyright page. Dust jacket priced 4.50 at the top of the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1960 McGraw-Hill hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book club; the UK Andre Deutsch edition (1962) is the UK first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lonesome Traveler* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lonesome-traveler
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.