# Is "The Vestal Lady on Brattle and Other Poems" by Gregory Corso a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Vestal Lady on Brattle and Other Poems by Gregory Corso (Richard Brukenfeld, 1955) is identified by: Corso's first book; issued in printed white wrappers lettered in black and blue. True first is the 1955 Brukenfeld wrappered original.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Corso's first book; issued in printed white wrappers lettered in black and blue
- Reportedly 500 copies printed, with a large portion of the run said to have been lost in the mail, making it scarce
- Underwritten by friends of Corso at Harvard/Radcliffe; wrapper design by Nick Cikovsky
- Collates roughly vi, 35 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Richard Brukenfeld
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gregory Corso |
| Publisher | Richard Brukenfeld |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Corso's first book; issued in printed white wrappers lettered in black and blue |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Corso's first book; issued in printed white wrappers lettered in black and blue. Reportedly 500 copies printed, with a large portion of the run said to have been lost in the mail, making it scarce. Underwritten by friends of Corso at Harvard/Radcliffe; wrapper design by Nick Cikovsky. Collates roughly vi, 35 pages.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1955 Brukenfeld wrappered original.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Vestal Lady on Brattle and Other Poems* by Gregory Corso a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-vestal-lady-on-brattle-and-other-poems
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.