# Is "The Lost Get-Back Boogie" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lost Get-Back Boogie by James Lee Burke (Louisiana State University Press, 1986) is identified by: LSU Press first edition, stated first edition with no additional printings noted; bound in blue-green cloth with red spine lettering; priced dust jacket at 16.95 on the front flap, jacket design by Charles Shaw. US LSU Press hardcover is the true first; Burke's much-rejected novel (reportedly over one hundred rejections, commonly cited as 111) finally published in 1986 and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- LSU Press first edition, stated first edition with no additional printings noted; bound in blue-green cloth with red spine lettering; priced dust jacket at 16.95 on the front flap, jacket design by Charles Shaw
- Note a recognized jacket-stock distinction: copies in a matte/dull-stock jacket are generally taken as the earlier issue and high-gloss-stock jackets as a later issue, though both carry the 16.95 price
- Publisher imprint reads Louisiana State University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Louisiana State University Press |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | LSU Press first edition, stated first edition with no additional printings noted; bound… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
LSU Press first edition, stated first edition with no additional printings noted; bound in blue-green cloth with red spine lettering; priced dust jacket at 16.95 on the front flap, jacket design by Charles Shaw. Note a recognized jacket-stock distinction: copies in a matte/dull-stock jacket are generally taken as the earlier issue and high-gloss-stock jackets as a later issue, though both carry the 16.95 price.

## Is this the true first?
US LSU Press hardcover is the true first; Burke's much-rejected novel (reportedly over one hundred rejections, commonly cited as 111) finally published in 1986 and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; a scarce university-press hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lost Get-Back Boogie* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lost-get-back-boogie
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.