# Is "The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills" by Charles Bukowski a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills by Charles Bukowski (Black Sparrow Press, 1969) is identified by: Black Sparrow's second Bukowski book. True first is the 1969 Black Sparrow edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Black Sparrow's second Bukowski book
- Issued in trade wrappers, plus a hardbound limited edition: 250 copies signed and numbered by Bukowski (signed in red on the limitation page at the rear), and an ultra-limited issue of 50 lettered copies, each signed and containing an original Bukowski illustration
- Publisher imprint reads Black Sparrow Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Bukowski |
| Publisher | Black Sparrow Press |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Black Sparrow's second Bukowski book |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Black Sparrow's second Bukowski book. Issued in trade wrappers, plus a hardbound limited edition: 250 copies signed and numbered by Bukowski (signed in red on the limitation page at the rear), and an ultra-limited issue of 50 lettered copies, each signed and containing an original Bukowski illustration.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1969 Black Sparrow edition. The 250 signed/numbered and 50 signed/lettered (with original art) hardbound copies are the premium states.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills* by Charles Bukowski a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-days-run-away-like-wild-horses-over-the-hills
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.