# Is "Memoirs of a Beatnik" by Diane di Prima a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Memoirs of a Beatnik by Diane di Prima (The Olympia Press, 1969) is identified by: Perfect-bound in green printed wrappers, Olympia Press New York office, issued in the Traveller's Companion Series (green covers, as distinct from the pink Ophelia Press erotica line). True first is the 1969 Olympia Press (New York) wrappered original in the Traveller's Companion Series.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Perfect-bound in green printed wrappers, Olympia Press New York office, issued in the Traveller's Companion Series (green covers, as distinct from the pink Ophelia Press erotica line)
- First printing carries no statement of later printings
- Later Last Gasp and Penguin editions are distinct and expanded
- Publisher imprint reads The Olympia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Diane di Prima |
| Publisher | The Olympia Press |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Perfect-bound in green printed wrappers, Olympia Press New York office, issued in the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Perfect-bound in green printed wrappers, Olympia Press New York office, issued in the Traveller's Companion Series (green covers, as distinct from the pink Ophelia Press erotica line). First printing carries no statement of later printings. Later Last Gasp and Penguin editions are distinct and expanded.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1969 Olympia Press (New York) wrappered original in the Traveller's Companion Series.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Memoirs of a Beatnik* by Diane di Prima a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/memoirs-of-a-beatnik
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.