# Is "Plunder Squad (Parker #15)" by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Plunder Squad (Parker #15) by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) (Random House, 1972) is identified by: Random House hardcover, New York, 1972. The US Random House hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House hardcover, New York, 1972
- Per Random House's 1970s convention, a first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in '2' (a line ending in '1' would indicate a later printing)
- Boards are quarter-bound in black cloth over light-orange cloth with blind and silver stamping, in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket, which should carry its printed price on the front flap
- Fifteenth Parker novel; collation approximately [viii], 182 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House hardcover, New York, 1972 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House hardcover, New York, 1972. Per Random House's 1970s convention, a first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in '2' (a line ending in '1' would indicate a later printing). Boards are quarter-bound in black cloth over light-orange cloth with blind and silver stamping, in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket, which should carry its printed price on the front flap. Fifteenth Parker novel; collation approximately [viii], 182 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition has a blind-stamped dot (or square) on the rear board, lacks the 'First Edition' statement and number line, and carries an unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Plunder Squad (Parker #15)* by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/plunder-squad-parker-15
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.