# Is "Butcher's Moon (Parker #16)" by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Butcher's Moon (Parker #16) by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) (Random House, 1974) is identified by: Random House hardcover, 1974. US Random House hardcover is the true first; a high spot of the Stark run.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House hardcover, 1974
- Sixteenth Parker novel and the last for over two decades, and by far the longest in the run
- Random House first-printing convention with a priced dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House hardcover, 1974 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House hardcover, 1974. Sixteenth Parker novel and the last for over two decades, and by far the longest in the run. Random House first-printing convention with a priced dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House hardcover is the true first; a high spot of the Stark run.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club edition has a blind-stamped dot on the rear board and an unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Butcher's Moon (Parker #16)* by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/butchers-moon-parker-16
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.