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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hondo by Louis L'Amour (Gold Medal Books / Fawcett, 1953) is identified by: First edition was a paperback original: Fawcett Gold Medal #511, 1953, with the Gold Medal first-printing code on the copyright page (no later-printing numbers). US Fawcett Gold Medal (1953) paperback original is the true first—there is no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition was a paperback original: Fawcett Gold Medal #511, 1953, with the Gold Medal first-printing code on the copyright page (no later-printing numbers)
- Pictorial wrappers; the John Wayne film tie-in connection drove demand
- Verify the Gold Medal first-printing statement/number on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal Books / Fawcett
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books / Fawcett |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition was a paperback original: Fawcett Gold Medal #511, 1953, with the Gold Medal first-printing code on the copyright page (no… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition was a paperback original: Fawcett Gold Medal #511, 1953, with the Gold Medal first-printing code on the copyright page (no later-printing numbers). Pictorial wrappers; the John Wayne film tie-in connection drove demand. Verify the Gold Medal first-printing statement/number on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US Fawcett Gold Medal (1953) paperback original is the true first—there is no preceding hardcover. (The later Saturday Evening Post story 'The Gift of Cochise' is the source short story, a separate item.) Because it is a PBO, the Gold Medal printing code is the key; later printings add numbers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club hardcover precedes it; later hardcover reprints (e.g., Gregg Press, book club) are 'first thus' and clearly later. The 1953 Gold Medal #511 first-printing wrappers copy is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hondo* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hondo
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.