# Is "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of On the Road by Jack Kerouac (The Viking Press, 1957) is identified by: First printing states 'FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1957' / 'Published by The Viking Press' with no statement of later printing; the first-issue dust jacket has the printed price and the rear panel author photo by Mark Jacobson and lists Viking titles to a specific point. US Viking 1957 is the true first; UK (Andre Deutsch, 1958) is a separate first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states 'FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1957' / 'Published by The Viking Press' with no statement of later printing; the first-issue dust jacket has the printed price and the rear panel author photo by Mark Jacobson and lists Viking titles to a specific point
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states 'FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1957' / 'Published by The Viking Press' with no statement of later printing; the first-issue dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing states 'FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1957' / 'Published by The Viking Press' with no statement of later printing; the first-issue dust jacket has the printed price and the rear panel author photo by Mark Jacobson and lists Viking titles to a specific point.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1957 is the true first; UK (Andre Deutsch, 1958) is a separate first. Signed Kerouac is scarce and heavily forged.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the price on the jacket and carry a blind-stamp; later printings note additional printings on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *On the Road* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/on-the-road
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.