# Is "Bendigo Shafter" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bendigo Shafter by Louis L'Amour (E.P. Dutton, 1979) is identified by: Dutton hardcover, 1979, 324 pages, in dust jacket. True first is the E.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- E.P. Dutton hardcover, 1979, 324 pages, in dust jacket
- First printing is identified by the stated first edition with a full number line ending in '1' on the copyright page
- Dutton ISBN 0-525-06323-4
- Publisher imprint reads E.P. Dutton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | E.P. Dutton |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | E.P. Dutton hardcover, 1979, 324 pages, in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
E.P. Dutton hardcover, 1979, 324 pages, in dust jacket. First printing is identified by the stated first edition with a full number line ending in '1' on the copyright page. Dutton ISBN 0-525-06323-4.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the E.P. Dutton trade hardcover in dust jacket, one of L'Amour's more ambitious full-length novels.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition exists as a separate later issue; distinguish it from the Dutton trade first by the presence of the stated first edition and the number line ending in '1' (book-club copies lack the number line and are typically thinner boards with a blind rear-panel dot).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bendigo Shafter* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bendigo-shafter
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.