# Is "Savage Season" by Joe R. Lansdale a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Savage Season by Joe R. Lansdale (Mark V. Ziesing, 1990) is identified by: First Hap and Leonard novel. Both the Ziesing hardcover and the Bantam paperback original appeared in 1990 and precedence between them is not firmly settled in the sources; some dealers treat the Bantam PBO as the first appearance while the Ziesing hardcover is the collectible first hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Hap and Leonard novel
- Issued in 1990 in two forms: a Mark V. Ziesing hardcover (trade plus a signed limited state, some in a two-volume slipcased set paired with Cold in July, signed by Lansdale and illustrator Terry Lee on the limitation page) and a Bantam mass-market paperback original
- Confirm the Ziesing copy by its limitation page and the Bantam copy by a number line ending in 1
- Publisher imprint reads Mark V. Ziesing
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe R. Lansdale |
| Publisher | Mark V. Ziesing |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Hap and Leonard novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First Hap and Leonard novel. Issued in 1990 in two forms: a Mark V. Ziesing hardcover (trade plus a signed limited state, some in a two-volume slipcased set paired with Cold in July, signed by Lansdale and illustrator Terry Lee on the limitation page) and a Bantam mass-market paperback original. Confirm the Ziesing copy by its limitation page and the Bantam copy by a number line ending in 1.

## Is this the true first?
Both the Ziesing hardcover and the Bantam paperback original appeared in 1990 and precedence between them is not firmly settled in the sources; some dealers treat the Bantam PBO as the first appearance while the Ziesing hardcover is the collectible first hardcover. Present both as 1990 first-year issues rather than asserting one as the sole true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; the Bantam issue is a paperback original and the Ziesing issue is a limited/trade hardcover, not a book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Savage Season* by Joe R. Lansdale a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/savage-season
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.