# Is "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie a First Edition?

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

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Atlantic Monthly Press, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sherman Alexie |
| Publisher | Atlantic Monthly Press, New York |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the Atlantic Monthly Press (New York) 1993 hardcover — Alexie's breakthrough story collection, 223 pp |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven* by Sherman Alexie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lone-ranger-and-tonto-fistfight-in-heaven
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.