The points of issue
Dodd, Mead first edition, 1956; per Dodd, Mead practice the first printing carries no later-printing notice on the copyright page. Bound in half black cloth over tan boards, spine lettered in red. Single printing of about 5,000 copies, the scarcest of Abbey's novels. The original dust jacket carries no film tie-in to 'Lonely Are the Brave' (1962); any film-related jacket is a later issue.
Is this the true first?
US Dodd, Mead 1956 is the true first; the UK Eyre & Spottiswoode edition followed in 1957. Abbey's second novel, after Jonathan Troy.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition does exist: the Western Book Club issue (1957), bound in bright turquoise-blue paper boards with the spine stamped in black, readily distinguished from the trade first's half black cloth over tan boards with red spine lettering. Separately, the 1977 University of New Mexico Press reissue revises the text by deleting the second-to-last sentence, which in the 1956 first declares Jack Burns dead; any text lacking that sentence is the later revised version, not the first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Brave Cowboy: An Old Tale in a New Time a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Dodd, Mead first edition, 1956; per Dodd, Mead practice the first printing carries no later-printing notice on the copyright page. Bound in half black cloth over tan boards, spine lettered in red. Single printing of about 5,000 copies, the scarcest of Abbey's novels. The original dust jacket carries no film tie-in to 'Lonely Are the Brave' (1962); any film-related jacket is a later issue.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Dodd, Mead 1956 is the true first; the UK Eyre & Spottiswoode edition followed in 1957. Abbey's second novel, after Jonathan Troy.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
A book-club edition does exist: the Western Book Club issue (1957), bound in bright turquoise-blue paper boards with the spine stamped in black, readily distinguished from the trade first's half black cloth over tan boards with red spine lettering. Separately, the 1977 University of New Mexico Press reissue revises the text by deleting the second-to-last sentence, which in the 1956 first declares
I have a first edition of The Brave Cowboy: An Old Tale in a New Time — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.