# Is "The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965–1971" by Allen Ginsberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965–1971 by Allen Ginsberg (City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 30, 1972) is identified by: City Lights Pocket Poets Series No. City Lights US (1972) is the true first, Pocket Poets No.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- City Lights Pocket Poets Series No
- 30, San Francisco, 1972; printed wrappers, 188 pages
- The first printing was issued simultaneously in both white and black wrappers lettered in black, with no established priority between the two, each reportedly in a run of about 5,000 copies; the printed price appears on the rear wrapper
- The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Ginsberg shared the 1974 National Book Award for Poetry for this title
- Publisher imprint reads City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 30
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Allen Ginsberg |
| Publisher | City Lights Books / The Pocket Poets Series No. 30 |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | City Lights Pocket Poets Series No |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
City Lights Pocket Poets Series No. 30, San Francisco, 1972; printed wrappers, 188 pages. The first printing was issued simultaneously in both white and black wrappers lettered in black, with no established priority between the two, each reportedly in a run of about 5,000 copies; the printed price appears on the rear wrapper. The first printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Ginsberg shared the 1974 National Book Award for Poetry for this title.

## Is this the true first?
City Lights US (1972) is the true first, Pocket Poets No. 30. First printing exists in both white and black wrapper variants issued together with no priority; confirm the copyright page carries no later-printing statement.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book club. Later printings are noted on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fall of America: Poems of These States 1965–1971* by Allen Ginsberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fall-of-america-poems-of-these-states-1965-1971
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.