# Is "Routines" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Routines by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (New Directions, 1964) is identified by: Paperback original issued as New Directions Paperbook NDP 187, 1964, 52 pages, in pictorial wrappers designed by Roland Topor (cover and internal drawings by Topor); first printing, with no statement of a later printing on the copyright page. True first is the 1964 New Directions wrappered paperback original (NDP 187); there was no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original issued as New Directions Paperbook NDP 187, 1964, 52 pages, in pictorial wrappers designed by Roland Topor (cover and internal drawings by Topor); first printing, with no statement of a later printing on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Ferlinghetti |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original issued as New Directions Paperbook NDP 187, 1964, 52 pages, in pictorial wrappers designed by Roland Topor (cover and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Thirteen short plays. Paperback original issued as New Directions Paperbook NDP 187, 1964, 52 pages, in pictorial wrappers designed by Roland Topor (cover and internal drawings by Topor); first printing, with no statement of a later printing on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1964 New Directions wrappered paperback original (NDP 187); there was no preceding hardcover.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Routines* by Lawrence Ferlinghetti a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/routines
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.