First Words: Earliest Writing from Favorite Contemporary Authors (1993)

Algonquin Books: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US (book, anthology), 1993.
9" x 6.5" x 1.75", 502 pages, hardcover with dust-jacket, ISBN 0-945575-71-8.

First Words: Earliest Writing from Contemporary Authors, an anthology edited by Paul Mandelbaum, published in hardcover by Algonquin Books (Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US) in 1993.

This contains a section on William S. Burroughs, pp. 90-95, which includes an introductory essay by Paul Mandelbaum on William S. Burroughs, Burroughs' 1929 essay "Personal Magnetism" – as included in Ted Morgan's Literary Outlaw, from the February 1929 John Burroughs Review, an image of Burroughs at the Los Alamos Ranch School, and a 1987 image of Burroughs taken by Bob Adelman.

This copy was acquired from Powell's Books (Portland, Oregon, US).

Shoaf II.304.

Contents: 

• Introduction
• Isaac Asimov: 
• introduction
• "Little Brothers (1934)"
• Margaret Atwood: 
• introduction
• "A Representative (1956)"
• "Three Cheers for Corona! (1956)"
• "1956 – and For Ever (1956)"
• "First Snow (1956)"
• "The English Lesson (1957)"
• "Pause Before Transition (1957)"
• "A Cliché for January (1959)"
• Louis Auchinsloss: 
• introduction
• "The Futility of Prophesy (1931)"
• Amiri Baraka: 
• introduction
• "The Statue (1951)" 
• Madison Smartt Bell: 
• introduction
• "At Nine on Thursday (1963)"
• "Votan with an Egg in His Mouth (1963)"
• "Sting Ray Tail Clipping (1963)"
• "Mr. Beaver (1963)"
• Roy Blount, Jr.: 
• introduction
• "Science Fair Is Miserable Flop (1958)"
• "Signs of Spring (1958)"
• "Roy's Noise (1958)"
• "Dear Diary by Joe Crutch (1957-1959)"
• "You Ought to Be in Football (1958)"
• "Robot Goes Berserk (1959)"
• Vance Bourjaily: 
• introduction
• "Dance of the Fireflies (1928)"
• "Not to Confound My Elders (1939)"
• "Jack and Jill (1942)"
• Paul Bowles: introduction
• "A Letter (1915)"
• "The Lady of Peace (1917)"
• "Poor Aunt Emma (1919)"
• "Lyrics from 'Le Carré,' an 'opera' (1919)"
• "Give Me Wine (1919)"
• "Bluey (1919-20)"
• "Entity (1927)"
• "A White Goat's Shadow (1929)" 
• William S. Burroughs: 
• introduction
• "Personal Magnetism (1929)"
• Fred Chappell: 
• introduction
• "And with Ah! Bright Wings (1953)"
• Carolyn Chute: 
• introduction
• "Adventures out in THE WORLD (1955)"
• Judith Ortiz Cofer: 
• introduction
• "Visionary (1971)"
• "Still Life (1971)"
• "Graduation (1971)"
• "Sea Brides (1971)"
• "Untitled, Chapter 1 (1971)"
• "Untitled (1971)"
• "The Mango Tree (1971)"
• "Untitled (1971-72)"
• "Untitled (1971-72)"
• Pat Conroy: 
• introduction
• "In Memoriam To a Dear and Cherished Friend (1962)"
• "To Randy Randel (1962)"
• Michael Crichton: 
• introduction
• "Johnny at 8:30 (1957)"
• "Untitled (1960)"
• "Life Goes to a Party (1961)"
• "The Most Important Part of the Lab (1961)"
• Stephen Dixon: 
• introduction
• "from Knock Knock (1956)"
• Rita Dove: 
• introduction
• "The Rabbit with the Droopy Ear (1962)"
• "from Chaos (1962)"
• Clyde Edgerton: 
• introduction
• "Buzzard Gets Bird's-eye View of Three-Man Adventures (1960)"
• "An Afternoon in the Gym (1960)"
• Stanley Elkin: 
• introduction
• "Malice in Wonderland (1949)"
• George Garrett: 
• introduction
• "Our River Trips (1949)"
• "Escapes (1944)"
• Ellen Gilchrist: 
• introduction
• "Regret (1951)"
• "Almost Seventeen (1951)"
• Gail Godwin: 
• introduction
• "The Autobiography of a Tin Cup (1949)"
• "The Accomplice (1951)"
• "The Choice (1951)"
• "So Nice of You to Come (1955)"
• Allan Gurganus: 
• introduction
• "Just the Idea of Being in Georgia (1965)"
• Mark Helprin: 
• introduction
• "Lightning North of Paris (1967)"
• John Hersey: 
• introduction
• "The Boy's Tennis (1921)"
• Charles Johnson: 
• introduction
• "Man Beneath Rags (1965)"
• "50 Cards 50 (1966)"
• "Rendezvous (1966)"
• "Individuality, not collectivity, is vehicle for attaining equality (1968)"
• Stephen King: 
• introduction
• "Jhonathan and the Witchs (1956)"
• Maxine Hong Kingston: 
• introduction
• "Journal entry, July 7 (1955)"
• "Journal entry, July 15 (1955)"
• "Letter (1956)"
• "Collections (1956)"
• "In My Opinion (1957)"
• "Journal entry (1957)"
• "Journal entry (1957)"
• W. P. Kinsella: 
• introduction
• "The Custom (1953)"
• "These Changing Times (1953)"
• Ursula K. Le Guin: 
• introduction
• "To Krakie (1934)"
• "Song (1947)"
• "December 31st, 1947 (1947)"
• Madeleine L'Engle: introduction
• "A Boy's Dream (1929)"
• "Space (1932)"
• "Eternity (1932)"
• "Whimsey (1932)"
• "The Wind (1932)"
• "Six Good People (1933)"
• Jill McCorkle: 
• introduction
• "The Night Santa Failed to Come (1965)"
• "My Funny Dreams (1965)"
• "Dreams (1965)"
• "The Twins (1966)"
• "Shon-Ton (1966)"
• Norman Mailer: 
• introduction
• "The Martian Invasion (1933)"
• Bobbie Ann Mason: 
• introduction
• "The Afternoon Before the Morning (1960)"
• Susan Minot: 
• introduction
• "Untitled (1973)"
• "Untitled (1973)"
• "Untitled (1973)"
• Gloria Naylor: 
• introduction
• "Hidden Wealth? (1967)"
• Joyce Carol Oates: 
• introduction
• "A Long Way Home (1956)"
• Tillie Olsen: 
• introduction
• "At Fourteen Years (1926-27)"
• "Not You I Weep For (1931)"
• William Styron: 
• introduction
• "Get All You Can (1943)"
• Amy Tan: 
• introduction
• "What the Library Means to Me (1961)" 
• John Updike: 
• introduction
• "Untitled mystery (1946)"
• Gore Vidal: 
• introduction
• "Mostly About Geoffrey (1942)"
• "New Year's Eve (1943)"
• Tobias Wolff: 
• introduction
• "Death (1962)"
• Appendix: Sources, Permissions, and Photo Credits