# Is "Comstock Lode" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Comstock Lode by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1981) is identified by: Bantam trade paperback original, 1981, ISBN 0-553-01307-6. True first US edition is the Bantam trade paperback original of 1981.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam trade paperback original, 1981, ISBN 0-553-01307-6
- First printing carries a number line on the copyright page
- The true first trade issue is the softcover, not a jacketed hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam trade paperback original, 1981, ISBN 0-553-01307-6 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Bantam trade paperback original, 1981, ISBN 0-553-01307-6. First printing carries a number line on the copyright page. The true first trade issue is the softcover, not a jacketed hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition is the Bantam trade paperback original of 1981. A separate leatherette 'Louis L'Amour Collection' hardcover was issued without any dust jacket as a special/subscription edition and is not a conventional jacketed trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable in the ordinary sense; the collection leatherette hardcover was a special issue without a dust jacket and should not be described as a jacketed hardcover first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Comstock Lode* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/comstock-lode
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.