# Is "Pick-Up" by Charles Willeford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pick-Up by Charles Willeford (Beacon Books, 1955) is identified by: True first is the paperback original from Beacon Books, 1955 — a small octavo in pictorial pictorial wrappers, roughly 191 pages, with the printed cover price present. The 1955 Beacon paperback original is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original from Beacon Books, 1955 — a small octavo in pictorial pictorial wrappers, roughly 191 pages, with the printed cover price present
- No hardcover precedes it
- Multiple ABAA dealers (L.W. Currey, Burnside Rare Books) catalog the first printing as Beacon #B-109 (not B102)
- The wrap-around cover art had earlier appeared on George Weller's 'Highway Episode' (Royal Giant #21, 1953)
- A scarce and sought-after Willeford paperback original
- Publisher imprint reads Beacon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Willeford |
| Publisher | Beacon Books |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original from Beacon Books, 1955 — a small octavo in pictorial pictorial wrappers, roughly 191 pages, with the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original from Beacon Books, 1955 — a small octavo in pictorial pictorial wrappers, roughly 191 pages, with the printed cover price present. No hardcover precedes it. Multiple ABAA dealers (L.W. Currey, Burnside Rare Books) catalog the first printing as Beacon #B-109 (not B102). The wrap-around cover art had earlier appeared on George Weller's 'Highway Episode' (Royal Giant #21, 1953). A scarce and sought-after Willeford paperback original.

## Is this the true first?
The 1955 Beacon paperback original is the true first. Modern reprints (Black Lizard/Vintage Crime, Re/Search) are first-thus only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Distinguish the 1955 Beacon #B-109 first printing in pictorial wrappers from later reprints; verify the Beacon catalog number on the cover/spine.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pick-Up* by Charles Willeford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pick-up
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.