# Is "Lucky at Cards" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lucky at Cards by Lawrence Block (Beacon, 1964) is identified by: The true first appearance is the 1964 Beacon paperback original titled 'The Sex Shuffle' under the pseudonym Sheldon Lord, a wraps-only softcover of roughly 155 pages, catalogue B757X (a number confirmed consistently across dealer listings). Originally issued in 1964 as a pseudonymous Beacon softcover titled 'The Sex Shuffle' by 'Sheldon Lord'.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first appearance is the 1964 Beacon paperback original titled 'The Sex Shuffle' under the pseudonym Sheldon Lord, a wraps-only softcover of roughly 155 pages, catalogue B757X (a number confirmed consistently across dealer listings)
- As a paperback original there is no number line or dust jacket; identification rests on the Beacon imprint, the B757X code, and the 'Sheldon Lord' byline on the pictorial wraps
- Publisher imprint reads Beacon
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | Beacon |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first appearance is the 1964 Beacon paperback original titled 'The Sex Shuffle'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first appearance is the 1964 Beacon paperback original titled 'The Sex Shuffle' under the pseudonym Sheldon Lord, a wraps-only softcover of roughly 155 pages, catalogue B757X (a number confirmed consistently across dealer listings). As a paperback original there is no number line or dust jacket; identification rests on the Beacon imprint, the B757X code, and the 'Sheldon Lord' byline on the pictorial wraps.

## Is this the true first?
Originally issued in 1964 as a pseudonymous Beacon softcover titled 'The Sex Shuffle' by 'Sheldon Lord'. The 1970 Softcover Library printing (retaining the 'Sex Shuffle' title) is a later reprint, not the first. The text was reissued under Block's own name as 'Lucky at Cards' by Hard Case Crime in 2007.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue applies to this vintage paperback original. The Hard Case Crime edition of 2007 is a later first-thus under the retitled 'Lucky at Cards' and is not the true first appearance of the text; the 1970 Softcover Library printing is likewise a reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lucky at Cards* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lucky-at-cards
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.