# Is "The Damned" by John D. MacDonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Damned by John D. MacDonald (Gold Medal Books, 1952) is identified by: True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #240 (1952), the printed price. Paperback is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #240
- , the printed price
- Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it
- Gold Medal logo and number; an early MacDonald PBO bestseller
- First printing has the original price and no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John D. MacDonald |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #240 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #240 (1952), the printed price. Paperback wraps; no hardcover precedes it. Gold Medal logo and number; an early MacDonald PBO bestseller. First printing has the original price and no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback is the true first. John D. MacDonald's early career was built on Gold Medal originals; nearly all his pre-1960 novels are paperback firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. First printing carries the printed price and no later-printing line; later Fawcett printings raise price/add printing data.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Damned* by John D. MacDonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-damned
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.