# Is "Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems" by Charles Bukowski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems by Charles Bukowski (Black Sparrow Press, 1990) is identified by: Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1990. True first is the 1990 Black Sparrow Press edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1990
- Stories and poems
- The collectible first is the trade hardcover, paper-covered boards with royal-blue cloth backstrip and spine label, in acetate dustjacket; roughly 1,000 trade hardcover copies
- Also issued as a signed and numbered limited and a deluxe hand-bound issue by Earle Gray with an original signed and dated Bukowski silkscreen print bound in
- A softcover in illustrated wraps also exists
- Title page printed in more than one color; no statement of later printing on the first
- Publisher imprint reads Black Sparrow Press

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Bukowski |
| Publisher | Black Sparrow Press |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1990 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Black Sparrow Press, Santa Rosa, 1990. Stories and poems. The collectible first is the trade hardcover, paper-covered boards with royal-blue cloth backstrip and spine label, in acetate dustjacket; roughly 1,000 trade hardcover copies. Also issued as a signed and numbered limited and a deluxe hand-bound issue by Earle Gray with an original signed and dated Bukowski silkscreen print bound in. A softcover in illustrated wraps also exists. Title page printed in more than one color; no statement of later printing on the first.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1990 Black Sparrow Press edition. Signed and numbered and deluxe issues are the scarcer states.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; Black Sparrow was a small literary press.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Septuagenarian Stew: Stories & Poems* by Charles Bukowski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/septuagenarian-stew-stories-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 2026-07-03.