# Is "Borden Chantry" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Borden Chantry by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1977) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, 1977 (Chantry series). True first is the 1977 Bantam paperback original; no earlier hardcover exists.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, 1977 (Chantry series)
- First book edition, with no hardcover preceding it
- On Bantam's mass-market originals of this era the true first printing is identified by 'First Edition' stated with a full number line present down to 1 on the copyright page; later printings drop the low digits or state a subsequent printing
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, 1977 (Chantry series) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, 1977 (Chantry series). First book edition, with no hardcover preceding it. On Bantam's mass-market originals of this era the true first printing is identified by 'First Edition' stated with a full number line present down to 1 on the copyright page; later printings drop the low digits or state a subsequent printing.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1977 Bantam paperback original; no earlier hardcover exists.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; paperback original with no book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Borden Chantry* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/borden-chantry
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.