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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kilkenny by Louis L'Amour (Ace Books, 1954) is identified by: Ace Books single-title paperback original, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name. True first US of the novel titled 'Kilkenny'; a standalone Ace paperback issued under the L'Amour name, not an Ace Double.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace Books single-title paperback original, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name
- Perfect-bound pictorial wrappers, no dust jacket
- This was the first full-length Kilkenny novel
- L'Amour had earlier written two Kilkenny novellas (The Rider of Lost Creek and A Man Called Trent, both 1947 in West magazine) under the pen name Jim Mayo, so the 1954 Ace book is the first appearance of the character in a novel under the L'Amour byline
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace Books single-title paperback original, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Ace Books single-title paperback original, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name. Perfect-bound pictorial wrappers, no dust jacket. This was the first full-length Kilkenny novel; L'Amour had earlier written two Kilkenny novellas (The Rider of Lost Creek and A Man Called Trent, both 1947 in West magazine) under the pen name Jim Mayo, so the 1954 Ace book is the first appearance of the character in a novel under the L'Amour byline.

## Is this the true first?
True first US of the novel titled 'Kilkenny'; a standalone Ace paperback issued under the L'Amour name, not an Ace Double. It precedes the later Gold Medal and Bantam reprints.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; paperback original. Later Gold Medal and Bantam printings are reset reprints and are not the first.

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