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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Milo Talon by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1981) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, published August 1981. The first US edition is the Bantam paperback original of August 1981.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, published August 1981
- As Bantam applied a printer's number line to its titles from late 1976, the first printing shows a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- No preceding US hardcover; the Bantam paperback is the first US appearance
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, published August 1981 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, published August 1981. As Bantam applied a printer's number line to its titles from late 1976, the first printing shows a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. No preceding US hardcover; the Bantam paperback is the first US appearance.

## Is this the true first?
The first US edition is the Bantam paperback original of August 1981. A Century Publishing (London) hardcover was also issued in 1981; month-level precedence between the two 1981 issues is not firmly established, but the Bantam paperback original is the recognized first appearance for this author's Bantam-published westerns.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable as a book-club point; issued as a paperback original, so first-printing identification rests on the number line ending in 1 rather than a club marking.

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