# Is "The Mourner (Parker #4)" by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mourner (Parker #4) by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) (Perma Books, 1963) is identified by: Perma Books paperback original, 1963 (catalog M 4298), with Harry Bennett cover art. Paperback original; true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Perma Books paperback original, 1963 (catalog M 4298), with Harry Bennett cover art
- Parker #4
- The imprint on the book reads Perma Books, not Pocket Books
- Publisher imprint reads Perma Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) |
| Publisher | Perma Books |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Perma Books paperback original, 1963 (catalog M 4298), with Harry Bennett cover art |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Perma Books paperback original, 1963 (catalog M 4298), with Harry Bennett cover art. Parker #4. The imprint on the book reads Perma Books, not Pocket Books.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; true first. No prior hardcover edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The first four Parker novels appeared under the Perma Books imprint (owned by Pocket Books); the series moved to the Pocket Books imprint proper with The Score. Confirm the Perma Books wording and M 4298 number on the copyright page. Later reissues exist under other imprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mourner (Parker #4)* by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mourner-parker-4
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.