# Is "My Education: A Book of Dreams" by William S. Burroughs a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Education: A Book of Dreams by William S. Burroughs (Viking, 1995) is identified by: First edition, first printing: Viking (New York) 1995 hardcover in dust jacket (ISBN 0670813508 / 9780670813506), 193 pages, cited as Schottlaender A73a. The trade first is the 1995 Viking (New York) hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: Viking (New York) 1995 hardcover in dust jacket (ISBN 0670813508 / 9780670813506), 193 pages, cited as Schottlaender A73a
- The copyright page reads 'First published in 1995 by Viking' and carries a complete number line ending in 1; the pictorial jacket should retain its printed price
- Burroughs's late dream journal
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William S. Burroughs |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: Viking (New York) 1995 hardcover in dust jacket (ISBN 0670813508 / 9780670813506), 193 pages, cited as… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: Viking (New York) 1995 hardcover in dust jacket (ISBN 0670813508 / 9780670813506), 193 pages, cited as Schottlaender A73a. The copyright page reads 'First published in 1995 by Viking' and carries a complete number line ending in 1; the pictorial jacket should retain its printed price. Burroughs's late dream journal.

## Is this the true first?
The trade first is the 1995 Viking (New York) hardcover. A UK Picador first (London, 1995) appeared the same year and is markedly less common in hardcover than the US Viking issue; the US edition is generally treated as the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. Later Viking printings break the number line short of 1; the first printing (of 15,000 copies) shows the full line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Education: A Book of Dreams* by William S. Burroughs a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-education-a-book-of-dreams
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.