# Is "How the West Was Won" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of How the West Was Won by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1963) is identified by: The 1963 Bantam paperback (a novelization of the 1962 film, from the James R. The Bantam 1963 paperback is the first US edition, but the true first edition is the 1962 UK hardcover, which precedes it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The 1963 Bantam paperback (a novelization of the 1962 film, from the James R. Webb screenplay) is the first US edition and the US paperback original
- It is not the earliest edition overall: the text was first published in hardcover in the United Kingdom in 1962, which precedes the US Bantam issue
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The 1963 Bantam paperback (a novelization of the 1962 film, from the James R. Webb… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The 1963 Bantam paperback (a novelization of the 1962 film, from the James R. Webb screenplay) is the first US edition and the US paperback original. It is not the earliest edition overall: the text was first published in hardcover in the United Kingdom in 1962, which precedes the US Bantam issue.

## Is this the true first?
The Bantam 1963 paperback is the first US edition, but the true first edition is the 1962 UK hardcover, which precedes it. Describe the Bantam printing as the first US/paperback appearance rather than the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No US book-club edition point applies to the Bantam paperback; note the earlier UK hardcover when establishing precedence.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *How the West Was Won* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/how-the-west-was-won
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.