# Is "Some of the Dharma" by Jack Kerouac a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Some of the Dharma by Jack Kerouac (Viking, 1997) is identified by: Posthumous first edition, New York: Viking, 1997. The true first is the 1997 Viking hardcover, stated 'First Edition' with the complete 1-through-10 number line.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Posthumous first edition, New York: Viking, 1997
- Cloth-backed boards in a priced, unclipped dust jacket; the copyright page is stated 'First Edition' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- A large, typographically elaborate volume of 420 pages assembled from Kerouac's 1953-1956 journals
- ISBN 0670848778
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Kerouac |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Posthumous first edition, New York: Viking, 1997 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Posthumous first edition, New York: Viking, 1997. Cloth-backed boards in a priced, unclipped dust jacket; the copyright page is stated 'First Edition' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. A large, typographically elaborate volume of 420 pages assembled from Kerouac's 1953-1956 journals. ISBN 0670848778.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the 1997 Viking hardcover, stated 'First Edition' with the complete 1-through-10 number line.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Some of the Dharma* by Jack Kerouac a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/some-of-the-dharma
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.