# Is "Visions of Cody" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Visions of Cody by Jack Kerouac (New Directions, 1960) is identified by: First (partial) edition: New Directions, 1960, a limited signed edition of 750 numbered copies containing only excerpts. The 1960 New Directions limited (750 copies, signed/numbered, excerpts only) is the true first appearance in book form but is incomplete.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First (partial) edition: New Directions, 1960, a limited signed edition of 750 numbered copies containing only excerpts
- The first COMPLETE edition is McGraw-Hill, 1972 (posthumous), with an introduction by Allen Ginsberg
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | First (partial) edition: New Directions, 1960, a limited signed edition of 750 numbered copies containing only excerpts |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First (partial) edition: New Directions, 1960, a limited signed edition of 750 numbered copies containing only excerpts. The first COMPLETE edition is McGraw-Hill, 1972 (posthumous), with an introduction by Allen Ginsberg.

## Is this the true first?
The 1960 New Directions limited (750 copies, signed/numbered, excerpts only) is the true first appearance in book form but is incomplete. The 1972 McGraw-Hill is the first complete edition ('first thus'). Collectors distinguish the scarce signed 1960 limited from the 1972 trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club. The key is the 1960 ND limited (partial, 750 signed copies) vs. the 1972 McGraw-Hill first complete edition — these are different texts, not mere reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Visions of Cody* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/visions-of-cody
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.