# Is "Scratching the Beat Surface" by Michael McClure a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Scratching the Beat Surface by Michael McClure (North Point Press, 1982) is identified by: North Point Press first edition, 1982, subtitled Essays on New Vision from Blake to Kerouac, with photographs by Larry Keenan. True first is the 1982 North Point Press clothbound edition in dust jacket.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- North Point Press first edition, 1982, subtitled Essays on New Vision from Blake to Kerouac, with photographs by Larry Keenan
- Issued in aubergine cloth with gilt spine lettering and a dust jacket; first printing states no later printing
- Publisher imprint reads North Point Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael McClure |
| Publisher | North Point Press |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | North Point Press first edition, 1982, subtitled Essays on New Vision from Blake to… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
North Point Press first edition, 1982, subtitled Essays on New Vision from Blake to Kerouac, with photographs by Larry Keenan. Issued in aubergine cloth with gilt spine lettering and a dust jacket; first printing states no later printing.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1982 North Point Press clothbound edition in dust jacket. A Penguin paperback followed in 1994.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Scratching the Beat Surface* by Michael McClure a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/scratching-the-beat-surface
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.