# Is "Tristessa" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Tristessa by Jack Kerouac (Avon Books, 1960) is identified by: Paperback original, Avon catalog number T-429; pictorial wrappers with the sensational tag line about a morphine-racked prostitute. True first is the 1960 Avon paperback original (Avon T-429).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original, Avon catalog number T-429; pictorial wrappers with the sensational tag line about a morphine-racked prostitute
- No hardcover first edition
- 126 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Avon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original, Avon catalog number T-429; pictorial wrappers with the sensational… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Paperback original, Avon catalog number T-429; pictorial wrappers with the sensational tag line about a morphine-racked prostitute. No hardcover first edition. 126 pages.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1960 Avon paperback original (Avon T-429).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club; later hardcover reissues exist but are not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Tristessa* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/tristessa
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.