# Is "The Key-Lock Man" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Key-Lock Man by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1965) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, 1965, Bantam catalog number J3085 printed on the spine and front cover. True first US edition; a Bantam paperback original, first printing, with no prior hardcover in any market, so the first Bantam printing is the definitive first appearance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, 1965, Bantam catalog number J3085 printed on the spine and front cover
- The true first is the first printing, in pictorial wrappers, with no statement of a later printing and the Bantam rooster colophon; the cover art depicts Matt Keelock fleeing a posse
- As a mid-1960s Bantam mass-market original it carries no number line; identify the first printing by the J-prefix catalog number and the absence of any 'second printing' or revised-price notice on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, 1965, Bantam catalog number J3085 printed on the spine and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, 1965, Bantam catalog number J3085 printed on the spine and front cover. The true first is the first printing, in pictorial wrappers, with no statement of a later printing and the Bantam rooster colophon; the cover art depicts Matt Keelock fleeing a posse. As a mid-1960s Bantam mass-market original it carries no number line; identify the first printing by the J-prefix catalog number and the absence of any 'second printing' or revised-price notice on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition; a Bantam paperback original, first printing, with no prior hardcover in any market, so the first Bantam printing is the definitive first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; paperback original with no book-club hardcover. Later Bantam reissues change the catalog/price code and add printing notices, distinguishing them from the 1965 J3085 first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Key-Lock Man* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-key-lock-man
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.