# Is "The Daybreakers" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Daybreakers by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1960) is identified by: Paperback original, Bantam catalog number A1933 (not A2068), published February 1960, original cover the printed price, yellow-tinted page edges. The paperback original is the true first; through this period L'Amour was published first in paperback, so there is no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original, Bantam catalog number A1933 (not A2068), published February 1960, original cover the printed 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
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original, Bantam catalog number A1933 (not A2068), published February 1960, original cover the printed price, yellow-tinted page… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback original, Bantam catalog number A1933 (not A2068), published February 1960, original cover the printed 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Daybreakers* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-daybreakers
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.