# Is "Texas Night Riders" by Ray Slater (Joe R. Lansdale) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Texas Night Riders by Ray Slater (Joe R. Lansdale) (Leisure, 1983) is identified by: Leisure Books mass-market paperback original issued under the Ray Slater pseudonym, one of Lansdale's earliest solo novels. Paperback original under the Ray Slater pseudonym is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Leisure Books mass-market paperback original issued under the Ray Slater pseudonym, one of Lansdale's earliest solo novels
- Confirm the Leisure Books imprint and 1983 copyright; do not rely on a number line, as early-1980s Leisure paperback originals do not consistently carry one
- Publisher imprint reads Leisure
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ray Slater (Joe R. Lansdale) |
| Publisher | Leisure |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Leisure Books mass-market paperback original issued under the Ray Slater pseudonym, one… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Leisure Books mass-market paperback original issued under the Ray Slater pseudonym, one of Lansdale's earliest solo novels. Confirm the Leisure Books imprint and 1983 copyright; do not rely on a number line, as early-1980s Leisure paperback originals do not consistently carry one.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original under the Ray Slater pseudonym is the true first. A Chivers/Atlantic large-print hardcover (Bath, England) appeared around the same time but the US Leisure paperback is the recognized first; a revised Subterranean Press hardcover (1997) is a later first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Texas Night Riders* by Ray Slater (Joe R. Lansdale) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/texas-night-riders
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.