# Is "Half of Paradise" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Half of Paradise by James Lee Burke (Houghton Mifflin, 1965) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin (Riverside Press, Cambridge) first printing, 1965; no statement of later printings on the copyright page; original priced dust jacket. US Houghton Mifflin is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin (Riverside Press, Cambridge) first printing, 1965; no statement of later printings on the copyright page; original priced dust jacket
- Light brown cloth with dark brown spine label
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin (Riverside Press, Cambridge) first printing, 1965; no statement of later… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin (Riverside Press, Cambridge) first printing, 1965; no statement of later printings on the copyright page; original priced dust jacket. Light brown cloth with dark brown spine label.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin is the true first. Burke's debut novel; genuinely scarce in the first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition to distinguish for the true first; scarce early title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Half of Paradise* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/half-of-paradise
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.