# Is "Naked Lunch" by William S. Burroughs (as 'William Burroughs') a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (as 'William Burroughs') (The Olympia Press, 1959) is identified by: Green pictorial wrappers, Traveller's Companion Series No. Olympia Paris (1959) is the true world first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Green pictorial wrappers, Traveller's Companion Series No
- First state has the rear wrapper printed 'Francs: 1500'
- Title on the book is 'The Naked Lunch' (the 'The' was dropped for the US Grove edition)
- Author credited as 'William Burroughs' (no middle initial)
- Publisher imprint reads The Olympia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs (as 'William Burroughs') |
| Publisher | The Olympia Press |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Green pictorial wrappers, Traveller's Companion Series No |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Green pictorial wrappers, Traveller's Companion Series No. 76. First state has the rear wrapper printed 'Francs: 1500'. Title on the book is 'The Naked Lunch' (the 'The' was dropped for the US Grove edition). Author credited as 'William Burroughs' (no middle initial).

## Is this the true first?
Olympia Paris (1959) is the true world first. First state = 'Francs: 1500' on rear wrapper; second state = copies overstamped/restickered '18 NF' after France's Jan 1960 currency revaluation (same sheets, repriced). The US first is Grove Press, 1962 (as 'Naked Lunch'), itself collectible but a later edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club. Distinguish first state ('Francs: 1500') from the repriced '18 NF' second state. The Grove 1962 US edition is a separate, later first-American — not to be confused with the Olympia true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Naked Lunch* by William S. Burroughs (as 'William Burroughs') a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/naked-lunch
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.