# Is "The Last Words of Dutch Schultz" by William S. Burroughs a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Words of Dutch Schultz by William S. Burroughs (Cape Goliard, 1970) is identified by: UK Cape Goliard first, 1970: a signed and numbered limited issue of 100 copies in grey-green buckram, with a simultaneous trade issue in wrappers. True first is the 1970 Cape Goliard London edition, which precedes the US Viking/Seaver issue by five years (1975, not the same year).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Cape Goliard first, 1970: a signed and numbered limited issue of 100 copies in grey-green buckram, with a simultaneous trade issue in wrappers
- First printing, no later printings stated
- A fiction in the form of a film script
- The US Viking/Seaver issue did not follow until 1975
- Publisher imprint reads Cape Goliard
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs |
| Publisher | Cape Goliard |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Cape Goliard first, 1970: a signed and numbered limited issue of 100 copies in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Cape Goliard first, 1970: a signed and numbered limited issue of 100 copies in grey-green buckram, with a simultaneous trade issue in wrappers. First printing, no later printings stated. A fiction in the form of a film script. The US Viking/Seaver issue did not follow until 1975.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1970 Cape Goliard London edition, which precedes the US Viking/Seaver issue by five years (1975, not the same year).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Words of Dutch Schultz* by William S. Burroughs a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-words-of-dutch-schultz
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.