# Is "The American Express" by Gregory Corso a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The American Express by Gregory Corso (The Olympia Press, 1961) is identified by: Corso's first and only novel, issued as number 85 in Olympia's Traveller's Companion series in green printed wrappers lettered in black, with a green-printed title page and the author's own drawings throughout. True first is the 1961 Olympia Press Paris wrappered original in the Traveller's Companion series.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Corso's first and only novel, issued as number 85 in Olympia's Traveller's Companion series in green printed wrappers lettered in black, with a green-printed title page and the author's own drawings throughout
- First issue came with a scarce photographic card dust jacket printed in black, white, and orange; the presence of that jacket is the desirable point, and copies retaining it are uncommon
- Publisher imprint reads The Olympia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gregory Corso |
| Publisher | The Olympia Press |
| Year | 1961 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Corso's first and only novel, issued as number 85 in Olympia's Traveller's Companion… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Corso's first and only novel, issued as number 85 in Olympia's Traveller's Companion series in green printed wrappers lettered in black, with a green-printed title page and the author's own drawings throughout. First issue came with a scarce photographic card dust jacket printed in black, white, and orange; the presence of that jacket is the desirable point, and copies retaining it are uncommon.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1961 Olympia Press Paris wrappered original in the Traveller's Companion series.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The American Express* by Gregory Corso a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-american-express
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.