# Is "Queer" by William S. Burroughs a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Queer by William S. Burroughs (Viking, 1985) is identified by: Written c.1952, first published 1985. The true first is the 1985 Viking hardcover; the London Picador edition (1986) is the later first British edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Written c.1952, first published 1985
- Cloth in dust jacket; states First Edition with number line to 1
- Introduction by Burroughs
- A signed limited was also issued
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Written c.1952, first published 1985 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Written c.1952, first published 1985. Cloth in dust jacket; states First Edition with number line to 1. Introduction by Burroughs. A signed limited was also issued.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the 1985 Viking hardcover; the London Picador edition (1986) is the later first British edition.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Queer* by William S. Burroughs a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/queer
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.