The points of issue
Trade first is Simon & Schuster, 1985, with 'First Edition' and a complete number line beginning at 1 on the copyright page and the original printed jacket price. The deeper collectible layer is the signed first printing and the scarce advance uncorrected proof, which is bound in bright yellow printed wrappers with the title on cover and spine. The text carries 'none' for 'done' at page 621, but because that reading persisted into much later printings it is not by itself a reliable first-edition point.
Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster first is the true first; Pulitzer winner and McMurtry's masterwork. A signed first-printing copy is the high-end target, and the yellow-wrapper proof is scarcer still. The first-issue jacket carries no mention of the Pulitzer Prize.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions (no printed jacket price, blind stamp to the rear board, lighter boards) are extremely common because the miniseries drove demand. Confirm the 'First Edition' statement and complete number line plus the priced jacket; a signature alone does not make a first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Lonesome Dove (signed/limited note) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Trade first is Simon & Schuster, 1985, with 'First Edition' and a complete number line beginning at 1 on the copyright page and the original printed jacket price. The deeper collectible layer is the signed first printing and the scarce advance uncorrected proof, which is bound in bright yellow printed wrappers with the title on cover and spine. The text carries 'none' for 'done' at page 621, but because that reading persisted into much later printings it is not by itself a reliable first-edition point.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Simon & Schuster first is the true first; Pulitzer winner and McMurtry's masterwork. A signed first-printing copy is the high-end target, and the yellow-wrapper proof is scarcer still. The first-issue jacket carries no mention of the Pulitzer Prize.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club editions (no printed jacket price, blind stamp to the rear board, lighter boards) are extremely common because the miniseries drove demand. Confirm the 'First Edition' statement and complete number line plus the priced jacket; a signature alone does not make a first.
I have a first edition of Lonesome Dove (signed/limited note) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.