# Is "Unfair Arguments with Existence" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Unfair Arguments with Existence by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New Directions, 1963) is identified by: Seven plays (subtitled 'Seven plays for a new theatre'). True first is the 1963 New Directions wrappered paperback original; this marked Ferlinghetti's first published work for the theatre.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Seven plays (subtitled 'Seven plays for a new theatre')
- Paperback original in printed wrappers, issued as a New Directions Paperbook; first printing carries no statement of a later printing
- First-issue copies are noted for omitting the photograph of Tom Rosque as the 'Blind Indian' character from the San Francisco production of 'The Alligation' (the only one of the plays then staged), and dealers of confirmed firsts describe a laid-in publisher's review slip
- Roughly 118 pages, octavo
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Seven plays (subtitled 'Seven plays for a new theatre') |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Seven plays (subtitled 'Seven plays for a new theatre'). Paperback original in printed wrappers, issued as a New Directions Paperbook; first printing carries no statement of a later printing. First-issue copies are noted for omitting the photograph of Tom Rosque as the 'Blind Indian' character from the San Francisco production of 'The Alligation' (the only one of the plays then staged), and dealers of confirmed firsts describe a laid-in publisher's review slip. Roughly 118 pages, octavo.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1963 New Directions wrappered paperback original; this marked Ferlinghetti's first published work for the theatre.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Unfair Arguments with Existence* by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/unfair-arguments-with-existence
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.