# Is "A Deadly Shade of Gold" by John D. MacDonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Deadly Shade of Gold by John D. MacDonald (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1965) is identified by: Gold Medal paperback original, 1965. Paperback original; the US Gold Medal wraps edition precedes all others.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gold Medal paperback original, 1965
- Travis McGee #5, a double-length entry
- First printing carries the Gold Medal serial number d1499 in pictorial wraps
- Publisher imprint reads Fawcett Gold Medal
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John D. MacDonald |
| Publisher | Fawcett Gold Medal |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gold Medal paperback original, 1965 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Gold Medal paperback original, 1965. Travis McGee #5, a double-length entry. First printing carries the Gold Medal serial number d1499 in pictorial wraps.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; the US Gold Medal wraps edition precedes all others. A UK Robert Hale hardcover followed in 1967 and the first US hardcover (Lippincott) not until 1974.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
UK Hale hardcover (1967) and later US Lippincott hardcover (1974) are reprints, not the first. Identify the true first by the d1499 Gold Medal serial.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Deadly Shade of Gold* by John D. MacDonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-deadly-shade-of-gold
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.