# Is "Starting from San Francisco" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Starting from San Francisco by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New Directions, 1961) is identified by: Issued in photo-pictorial boards (printed red, black and white) WITHOUT a dust jacket. True first is the 1961 New Directions issue with the record present.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in photo-pictorial boards (printed red, black and white) WITHOUT a dust jacket
- The first issue includes a 7-inch 33 the printed price rpm vinyl recording of Ferlinghetti reading, housed in a sleeve mounted to the rear pastedown
- Presence of the intact record is the essential point of issue
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in photo-pictorial boards (printed red, black and white) WITHOUT a dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued in photo-pictorial boards (printed red, black and white) WITHOUT a dust jacket. The first issue includes a 7-inch 33 the printed price rpm vinyl recording of Ferlinghetti reading, housed in a sleeve mounted to the rear pastedown. Presence of the intact record is the essential point of issue.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1961 New Directions issue with the record present. The record was mounted at the rear, not loosely laid in, and is often missing or damaged. Later editions were issued without the record.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The record, not a jacket, is the key point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Starting from San Francisco* by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/starting-from-san-francisco
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.