# Is "The Lonely Men" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lonely Men by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1969) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, 1969, issued under Bantam catalog number H4402; a Tell Sackett novel of the Sackett saga. True first edition is the 1969 Bantam paperback original (catalog H4402); no prior hardcover exists.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, 1969, issued under Bantam catalog number H4402; a Tell Sackett novel of the Sackett saga
- First printings carry the original catalog number on the cover and spine and bear no later-printing statement on the copyright page (subsequent printings note the printing sequence and often reprice or renumber)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, 1969, issued under Bantam catalog number H4402; a Tell Sackett… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, 1969, issued under Bantam catalog number H4402; a Tell Sackett novel of the Sackett saga. First printings carry the original catalog number on the cover and spine and bear no later-printing statement on the copyright page (subsequent printings note the printing sequence and often reprice or renumber).

## Is this the true first?
True first edition is the 1969 Bantam paperback original (catalog H4402); no prior hardcover exists. UK Corgi editions are later reprints.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; paperback original, not a Book Club Edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lonely Men* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lonely-men
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.