Is My The Naked Lunch a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first: The Olympia Press, Paris, 1959 — 'The Traveller's Companion Series' no
• 76, issued in the series' green printed wrappers, with the green decorative border to the title page and the title given as 'The Naked Lunch.' First issue: the rear wrapper is priced 'Francs: 1.500' and marked 'Not to be sold in U.S.A. or U.K.,' and a preliminary leaf is printed '76 1' at the lower right (the series number and first printing)
• Edition of 5,000 copies

How The Olympia Press marked a first edition

• 1953–1965 (Paris, under Maurice Girodias): titles were issued in printed paper wrappers, not cloth. The Traveller's Companion Series appeared in plain green text-only wrappers, each bearing a series number. A first print…

Full The Olympia Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Olympia Press Paris 1959 is the true first; the US edition (Grove Press, 1962, titled 'Naked Lunch,' without the definite article) follows. France's new franc took effect 1 January 1960, roughly six months after the July/August 1959 publication, so copies at the printed '1.500' (old francs) precede those repriced 'NF 18' (new francs).P-037485

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

There is no book-club edition of the Olympia first. Within the first printing the price state distinguishes issues: first issue shows the printed 'Francs: 1.500'; the later issue has unsold stock overstamped in blue 'NF 18' (18 new francs) over that original price. The '76 1' leaf and the green title-page border confirm the Olympia first PRINTING regardless of the price state; the '1.500' versus 'NF 18' price is what separates first issue from the repriced later issue.P-037486

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Naked Lunch a first edition?

A first edition of The Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (The Olympia Press) is identified by: True first: The Olympia Press, Paris, 1959 — 'The Traveller's Companion Series' no.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. Olympia Press Paris 1959 is the true first; the US edition (Grove Press, 1962, titled 'Naked Lunch,' without the definite article) follows.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

There is no book-club edition of the Olympia first. Within the first printing the price state distinguishes issues: first issue shows the printed 'Francs: 1.500'; the later issue has unsold stock overstamped in blue 'NF 18' (18 new francs) over that original price. The '76 1' leaf and the green title-page border confirm the Olympia first PRINTING regardless of the price state; the '1.500' versus 'NF 18' price is what separates first issue from the repriced later issue.

I have a first edition of The Naked Lunch — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.