# Is "Who Are We Now?" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Who Are We Now? by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New Directions, 1976) is identified by: Issued simultaneously in clothbound and as a New Directions Paperbook. True first is the 1976 New Directions issue; clothbound and New Directions Paperbook are simultaneous first-edition states.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued simultaneously in clothbound and as a New Directions Paperbook
- First-edition copyright page shows the New Directions publication statement for 1976 with no later-printing indication; no numeric printing line was used on titles of this period
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued simultaneously in clothbound and as a New Directions Paperbook |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued simultaneously in clothbound and as a New Directions Paperbook. First-edition copyright page shows the New Directions publication statement for 1976 with no later-printing indication; no numeric printing line was used on titles of this period.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1976 New Directions issue; clothbound and New Directions Paperbook are simultaneous first-edition states.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Who Are We Now?* by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/who-are-we-now
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.