# Is "The Hunters" by James Salter a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hunters by James Salter (Harper & Brothers, 1956) is identified by: True first edition: Harper & Brothers, New York — dated 1956 on the title page, NOT 1957 (the census year is incorrect; 1957 is the UK Heinemann edition). US Harper & Brothers (New York), 1956 is the true first — this CORRECTS the census's '1957.' UK first: William Heinemann, London, 1957 (published 20 May 1957, jacket by Mudge Marriott).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first edition: Harper & Brothers, New York — dated 1956 on the title page, NOT 1957 (the census year is incorrect
- 1957 is the UK Heinemann edition)
- Salter's first book, a Korean-War fighter-pilot novel, 233 pp
- The first printing is identified by the Harper code 'M-E' on the copyright page — under Harper's letter system M = December and E = 1955, i.e. printed December 1955 ahead of the 1956 publication — with no later code present
- Binding is blue cloth boards with a black cloth spine, a red Harper seal blocked at the lower front cover and red lettering on the spine; jacket designed by Bill English
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Salter |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first edition: Harper & Brothers, New York — dated 1956 on the title page, NOT 1957 (the census year is incorrect |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first edition: Harper & Brothers, New York — dated 1956 on the title page, NOT 1957 (the census year is incorrect; 1957 is the UK Heinemann edition). Salter's first book, a Korean-War fighter-pilot novel, 233 pp. The first printing is identified by the Harper code 'M-E' on the copyright page — under Harper's letter system M = December and E = 1955, i.e. printed December 1955 ahead of the 1956 publication — with no later code present. Binding is blue cloth boards with a black cloth spine, a red Harper seal blocked at the lower front cover and red lettering on the spine; jacket designed by Bill English.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Brothers (New York), 1956 is the true first — this CORRECTS the census's '1957.' UK first: William Heinemann, London, 1957 (published 20 May 1957, jacket by Mudge Marriott). Separately, the 1997 Counterpoint (Washington, DC) edition is a REVISED text — Salter changed the protagonist's surname from Cleve Saville to Cleve Connell and corrected errors — so it is 'first thus,' not a reprint of the 1956 text (this part of the census note is correct).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted. First-thus trap: the author-revised 1997 Counterpoint edition (and its Vintage paperback) is a materially different text and must not be conflated with the 1956 Harper first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hunters* by James Salter a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hunters
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.