# Is "The Yage Letters" by William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Yage Letters by William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg (City Lights Books, 1963) is identified by: City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1963, in stiff printed wrappers, 68 pages, with a white spine lettered in black. City Lights US (1963), printed in England, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1963, in stiff printed wrappers, 68 pages, with a white spine lettered in black
- The true first printing was printed in England, its gatherings sewn rather than merely glued, and the copyright page bears no later-printing statement; the original price is printed on the rear wrapper
- Referenced as Maynard & Miles A8
- A landmark Burroughs/Ginsberg collaboration recording the search for yage (ayahuasca)
- Publisher imprint reads City Lights Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg |
| Publisher | City Lights Books |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1963, in stiff printed wrappers, 68 pages, with a white spine lettered in black |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
City Lights Books, San Francisco, 1963, in stiff printed wrappers, 68 pages, with a white spine lettered in black. The true first printing was printed in England, its gatherings sewn rather than merely glued, and the copyright page bears no later-printing statement; the original price is printed on the rear wrapper. Referenced as Maynard & Miles A8. A landmark Burroughs/Ginsberg collaboration recording the search for yage (ayahuasca).

## Is this the true first?
City Lights US (1963), printed in England, is the true first. Signed copies by either author are especially desirable. A revised Yage Letters Redux, edited by Oliver Harris, followed from City Lights in 2006 and is a distinct later text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book club. Subsequent printings were produced in the United States (Michigan) and are glued rather than sewn; later City Lights printings are noted on the copyright page. Confirm the England-printed, sewn first-printing state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Yage Letters* by William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-yage-letters
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.