# Is "The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western" by Richard Brautigan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western by Richard Brautigan (Simon & Schuster, 1974) is identified by: First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with color front illustration by Wendell Minor and a rear-panel author photograph by John Fryer. True first is the 1974 Simon & Schuster hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with color front illustration by Wendell Minor and a rear-panel author photograph by John Fryer
- The original jacket carries a printed price on the front flap (do not rely on a specific figure to identify the first; an unclipped, period-appropriate price is the point)
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Brautigan |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with color front illustration by Wendell Minor… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing identified by the number line on the copyright page; pictorial dust jacket with color front illustration by Wendell Minor and a rear-panel author photograph by John Fryer. The original jacket carries a printed price on the front flap (do not rely on a specific figure to identify the first; an unclipped, period-appropriate price is the point).

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1974 Simon & Schuster hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later book-club edition exists; it is typically blind-stamped on the rear board and has no printed price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western* by Richard Brautigan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hawkline-monster-a-gothic-western
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.