# Is "Skinwalkers" by Tony Hillerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman (Harper & Row, 1986) is identified by: New York: Harper & Row, 1986. The US Harper & Row edition of 1986 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New York: Harper & Row, 1986
- Copyright page carries the 'FIRST EDITION' statement with the publisher's number line
- Quarter red cloth over white paper boards, gilt spine lettering
- 216 pages; cover art by Peter Thorpe
- First-issue dust jacket is price-printed and unclipped
- This is the first of Hillerman's Navajo novels to bring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee together, and the book that lifted him to bestseller status
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tony Hillerman |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New York: Harper & Row, 1986 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New York: Harper & Row, 1986. Copyright page carries the 'FIRST EDITION' statement with the publisher's number line. Quarter red cloth over white paper boards, gilt spine lettering; 216 pages; cover art by Peter Thorpe. First-issue dust jacket is price-printed and unclipped. This is the first of Hillerman's Navajo novels to bring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee together, and the book that lifted him to bestseller status.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row edition of 1986 is the true first. Pairing Leaphorn and Chee in one book for the first time, it marked Hillerman's commercial breakthrough; the UNM Hillerman Portal documents the first edition and the advance reading copy.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the printed jacket price and the number line, and are typically blind-stamped on the rear board; later printings drop the first-edition statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Skinwalkers* by Tony Hillerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/skinwalkers
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.