# Is "The Barbarous Coast" by Ross Macdonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Barbarous Coast by Ross Macdonald (Alfred A. Knopf, 1956) is identified by: Knopf 1956, 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page. US Knopf is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf 1956, 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page
- Lew Archer novel
- This was the first book published under the settled pseudonym Ross Macdonald
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ross Macdonald |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf 1956, 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Knopf 1956, 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page. Lew Archer novel. This was the first book published under the settled pseudonym Ross Macdonald.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Barbarous Coast* by Ross Macdonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-barbarous-coast
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.