# Is "Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems 1974-1977" by Charles Bukowski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems 1974-1977 by Charles Bukowski (Black Sparrow Press, 1977) is identified by: Issued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 750 copies (orange cloth over tan printed boards, paper spine label, mylar jacket), plus a signed/numbered hardcover limited and a deluxe state of 75 copies with an original painting bound in. True first is the 1977 Black Sparrow issue; the signed/numbered hardcover and the 75-copy artwork state are the limited states.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 750 copies (orange cloth over tan printed boards, paper spine label, mylar jacket), plus a signed/numbered hardcover limited and a deluxe state of 75 copies with an original painting bound in
- Color-printed title page marks the first printing; no statement of later printings
- Publisher imprint reads Black Sparrow Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Bukowski |
| Publisher | Black Sparrow Press |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 750 copies (orange cloth over… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued in trade paperback wrappers and a trade hardcover of 750 copies (orange cloth over tan printed boards, paper spine label, mylar jacket), plus a signed/numbered hardcover limited and a deluxe state of 75 copies with an original painting bound in. Color-printed title page marks the first printing; no statement of later printings.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1977 Black Sparrow issue; the signed/numbered hardcover and the 75-copy artwork state are the limited states.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Love Is a Dog from Hell: Poems 1974-1977* by Charles Bukowski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/love-is-a-dog-from-hell-poems-1974-1977
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.