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Inscribed and signed by Kesey on the front free endpaper in black ball-point pen with 11 lines, humorously explaining the scarcity of this true first issue: "Dear Barry: This is one of a very small first run of original Cuckoos before I got sued by a fat twit called Gwen Davis (see page 86) and Viking made me change the character to a man called the Public Relation. Only a couple thousand got printed. Rare! Ken Kesey, 1987." The true first edition, with "that fool Red Cross woman" on p. 9, lines 12-13. The jacket contains the five-word Kerouac "blurb" on the front flap. Kesey refers to page 86 in the inscription, which contains a sentence (actually beginning on page 85), unchanged from the original manuscript: "It's the plump Red Cross woman named Gwen-doe-lin, with the blond hair the patients are always arguing about...." A classic of late twentieth century literature, this is Kesey's masterpiece and first published book. Inspired by his experiences working the night shift in a mental ward while experimenting with hallucinogens, would later become the basis for the 1975 film starring Jack Nicholson, which earned five Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor.