# Is "The Ticket That Exploded" by William S. Burroughs a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ticket That Exploded by William S. Burroughs (The Olympia Press, 1962) is identified by: Olympia Press, Paris, 1962, in the Traveller's Companion Series as No. Olympia Paris (1962) is the true world first (Maynard & Miles A6a).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Olympia Press, Paris, 1962, in the Traveller's Companion Series as No
- 91, green printed wrappers, with the original franc price on the wrapper; a printing of 5,000 copies
- The volume includes a monochrome design by Brion Gysin on p
- Issued in the Traveller's Companion glassine/printed dust wrapper
- Publisher imprint reads The Olympia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs |
| Publisher | The Olympia Press |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Olympia Press, Paris, 1962, in the Traveller's Companion Series as No |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Olympia Press, Paris, 1962, in the Traveller's Companion Series as No. 91, green printed wrappers, with the original franc price on the wrapper; a printing of 5,000 copies. The volume includes a monochrome design by Brion Gysin on p. 183. Issued in the Traveller's Companion glassine/printed dust wrapper.

## Is this the true first?
Olympia Paris (1962) is the true world first (Maynard & Miles A6a). The Grove (1967) US edition is a revised/expanded text ('first thus'). Confirm Traveller's Companion No. 91 on the wrapper for the Olympia first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club. As with The Soft Machine, the later Grove/Calder editions are revised texts; the Olympia No. 100 is the only true original first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ticket That Exploded* by William S. Burroughs a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ticket-that-exploded
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.