Is My Copy of The Daybreakers a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Paperback original, Bantam catalog number A1933 (not A2068), published February 1960, with a printed cover price, yellow-tinted page edges
• The first published Sackett novel, launching the family saga
• The true first printing shows the A1933 catalog code with no later-printing statement or raised price on the wrappers and copyright page

How Bantam Books marked a first edition

• Copyright page printing statement: classic Bantam used a printed-line phrase such as 'Bantam edition / (date)' with a printing history; a true first lists only the first printing.
• Modern Bantam (post-merger) uses a descending number line; first printing retains '1' (e.g. '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1').

Full Bantam Books first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The paperback original is the true first; through this period L'Amour was published first in paperback, so there is no preceding hardcover. Note that chronologically within the saga The Daybreakers falls later, but it was the first Sackett title published. Later Bantam reissues carry revised cover art and higher catalog numbers.P-020008

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition of the original paperback; distinguish the first printing by the A1933 catalog number, the printed price, and absence of a later-printing line. Later printings raise the price and change the catalog code. Hardcover collection reprints came much later.P-020009

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Daybreakers a first edition?

A first edition of The Daybreakers by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books) is identified by: Paperback original, Bantam catalog number A1933 (not A2068), published February 1960, with a printed cover price, yellow-tinted page edges.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The paperback original is the true first; through this period L'Amour was published first in paperback, so there is no preceding hardcover.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition of the original paperback; distinguish the first printing by the A1933 catalog number, the printed price, and absence of a later-printing line. Later printings raise the price and change the catalog code. Hardcover collection reprints came much later.

I have a first edition of The Daybreakers — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.