Is My The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the Atlantic Monthly Press (New York) 1993 hardcover — Alexie's breakthrough story collection, 223 pp
• The first printing carries the publisher's "First Edition" designation with a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; it is bound in blue cloth (spine lettered) and issued in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap)
• A scarcer glossy-wrappers advance reading copy precedes the trade issue but is a proof, not the first edition
• The hardcover identity, binding, and priced jacket are corroborated across Wikipedia and multiple dealers; the number-line-to-1 convention rests on dealer consensus rather than a formal bibliography

How Atlantic Monthly Press, New York marked a first edition

• Late 1920s–1930s: 'Published (Month, Year)' on the copyright page with no additional printings listed indicates a first printing. From 1940 onward 'First Edition' was added above the 'Published' line, while 'Published (M…
• Since 1988: first printings state 'First Edition' and 'First Printing' on the copyright page (this convention predates and is independent of the 1993 Grove/Atlantic merger).

Full Atlantic Monthly Press, New York first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Atlantic Monthly Press 1993 (hardcover) is the true first. First-thus trap: the 2005 Grove Press issue is an expanded edition adding two new stories and is NOT the first edition, nor is the 2013 20th-anniversary paperback. The census cites a later UK edition; the UK publisher is not independently confirmed here.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The common later-issue look-alikes are the 2005 expanded Grove reissue and subsequent trade paperbacks; identify the first by the AMP hardcover with number line to 1 in a priced jacket. No period book-club edition documented.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven a first edition?

A first edition of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie (Atlantic Monthly Press, New York) is identified by: The true first is the Atlantic Monthly Press (New York) 1993 hardcover — Alexie's breakthrough story collection, 223 pp.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US Atlantic Monthly Press 1993 (hardcover) is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The common later-issue look-alikes are the 2005 expanded Grove reissue and subsequent trade paperbacks; identify the first by the AMP hardcover with number line to 1 in a priced jacket. No period book-club edition documented.

I have a first edition of The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.