# Is "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (Simon & Schuster, 1985) is identified by: First printing: the copyright page carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1. US Simon & Schuster (New York), 1985, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing: the copyright page carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1
- Black boards with blue cloth spine, title stamped in gilt
- The first-issue dust jacket bears NO mention of the Pulitzer Prize (the novel won the 1986 Pulitzer, so any Pulitzer reference on the jacket = later printing/state) and is a priced, unclipped jacket with the printed price present at the flap
- The p.621 (line 16) text reading 'none' for 'done' exists in the first printing but persists into later printings — documented through at least the 25th — so it is NOT a reliable first-printing point; rely on the number line and the no-Pulitzer jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry McMurtry |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing: the copyright page carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing: the copyright page carries the complete number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1. Black boards with blue cloth spine, title stamped in gilt. The first-issue dust jacket bears NO mention of the Pulitzer Prize (the novel won the 1986 Pulitzer, so any Pulitzer reference on the jacket = later printing/state) and is a priced, unclipped jacket with the printed price present at the flap. The p.621 (line 16) text reading 'none' for 'done' exists in the first printing but persists into later printings — documented through at least the 25th — so it is NOT a reliable first-printing point; rely on the number line and the no-Pulitzer jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster (New York), 1985, is the true first. The decisive points are the full number line including the '1' and the absence of any Pulitzer notice on the jacket. Signed first printings are notably scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club printing is near-identical to the trade first and is the single most common 'mistaken first' for this title. The decisive tell is the copyright page: the trade first carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, which the club printing lacks (book clubs of the 1980s dropped the number line to save ink). The club jacket is also unpriced, whereas the trade first is priced at the flap. Do NOT rely on a rear-board blind stamp — it is inconsistent on copies of this era; use the number line and the priced jacket as the primary tests.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lonesome Dove* by Larry McMurtry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lonesome-dove
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.