# Is "Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey (The Viking Press, 1964) is identified by: Copyright page reads 'Published in 1964 by The Viking Press, Inc.' with no later-printing statement. US Viking is the true first, preceding the UK Methuen 1966 edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page reads 'Published in 1964 by The Viking Press, Inc.' with no later-printing statement
- Bound in speckled grey cloth stamped in blue and green (a square face with two K's forming the eyes on the front board), top edge stained green, 628 pages
- First-state dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon, unclipped with the printed price intact; the decisive first-state jacket point is the photographer's name misspelled 'Hank Krangler' printed vertically along the edge of the rear flap, with Kesey's two-line biography on the rear flap
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Kesey |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page reads 'Published in 1964 by The Viking Press, Inc.' with no later-printing statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page reads 'Published in 1964 by The Viking Press, Inc.' with no later-printing statement. Bound in speckled grey cloth stamped in blue and green (a square face with two K's forming the eyes on the front board), top edge stained green, 628 pages. First-state dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon, unclipped with the printed price intact; the decisive first-state jacket point is the photographer's name misspelled 'Hank Krangler' printed vertically along the edge of the rear flap, with Kesey's two-line biography on the rear flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking is the true first, preceding the UK Methuen 1966 edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition lacks the first-state copyright wording and the jacket price, and is blind-stamped on the rear board; it does not carry the 'Hank Krangler' rear-flap state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sometimes a Great Notion* by Ken Kesey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sometimes-a-great-notion
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.