# Is "Scattered Poems" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Scattered Poems by Jack Kerouac (City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 28, 1971) is identified by: City Lights Pocket Poets Series No. The City Lights US edition (1971) is the true first (posthumous).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- City Lights Pocket Poets Series No
- 28, San Francisco, 1971; posthumous, compiled by Ann Charters
- Pictorial printed wrappers
- The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page and retains the original printed price to the rear cover
- Publisher imprint reads City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 28
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 28 |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | City Lights Pocket Poets Series No |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
City Lights Pocket Poets Series No. 28, San Francisco, 1971; posthumous, compiled by Ann Charters. Pictorial printed wrappers. The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page and retains the original printed price to the rear cover.

## Is this the true first?
The City Lights US edition (1971) is the true first (posthumous). Confirm Pocket Poets No. 28 and a copyright page free of any later-printing statement.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book club. A second printing (October 1971) and a third (April 1973) followed, each noted on the copyright page; the first bears no such statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Scattered Poems* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/scattered-poems
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.