# Is "The Drive-In" by Joe R. Lansdale a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale (Bantam, 1988) is identified by: Bantam Spectra US mass-market paperback original, with the number line present down to 1. US Bantam Spectra paperback original is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam Spectra US mass-market paperback original, with the number line present down to 1
- Full subtitle 'A B-Movie with Blood and Popcorn, Made in Texas.' World Fantasy Award nominee
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe R. Lansdale |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam Spectra US mass-market paperback original, with the number line present down to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Bantam Spectra US mass-market paperback original, with the number line present down to 1. Full subtitle 'A B-Movie with Blood and Popcorn, Made in Texas.' World Fantasy Award nominee.

## Is this the true first?
US Bantam Spectra paperback original is the true first. A New English Library (UK) edition is a later, separate printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Drive-In* by Joe R. Lansdale a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-drive-in
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.