# Is "The Happy Birthday of Death" by Gregory Corso a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Happy Birthday of Death by Gregory Corso (New Directions, 1960) is identified by: Issued in 1960 as New Directions Paperbook 86 in illustrated printed wrappers, first printing with no later printings indicated on the copyright page. True first is the 1960 New Directions original; commonly found in the wrappered Paperbook 86 issue, with a simultaneous clothbound issue also recorded.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued in 1960 as New Directions Paperbook 86 in illustrated printed wrappers, first printing with no later printings indicated on the copyright page
- Key identifying feature is the fold-out leaf of the poem 'Bomb' bound in around pages 32-33
- A clothbound issue was also produced
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gregory Corso |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued in 1960 as New Directions Paperbook 86 in illustrated printed wrappers, first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued in 1960 as New Directions Paperbook 86 in illustrated printed wrappers, first printing with no later printings indicated on the copyright page. Key identifying feature is the fold-out leaf of the poem 'Bomb' bound in around pages 32-33. A clothbound issue was also produced.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1960 New Directions original; commonly found in the wrappered Paperbook 86 issue, with a simultaneous clothbound issue also recorded.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Happy Birthday of Death* by Gregory Corso a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-happy-birthday-of-death
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.