# Is "Pop. 1280" by Jim Thompson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson (Gold Medal Books, 1964) is identified by: True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal k1438 (1964), the printed price. Paperback is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal k1438
- , the printed price
- Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it
- Gold Medal logo and catalog number k1438; first printing has no additional printing line
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jim Thompson |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal k1438 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal k1438 (1964), the printed price. Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it. Gold Medal logo and catalog number k1438; first printing has no additional printing line.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback is the true first. Later reprints and modern editions (Black Lizard etc.) are first-thus only. Among the most sought Thompson Gold Medal originals.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. First Gold Medal printing has the original the printed price and no later-printing statement; later Fawcett printings raise the price and add printing data.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pop. 1280* by Jim Thompson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pop-1280
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.