# Is "The Proving Trail" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Proving Trail by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1979) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, dated 1979 on the copyright page, with no preceding US hardcover; the paperback is the first appearance. True first US edition is the Bantam paperback original; there is no earlier Doubleday or other hardcover to precede it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, dated 1979 on the copyright page, with no preceding US hardcover; the paperback is the first appearance
- On a genuine first printing the copyright page carries L'Amour's Bantam-era statement of first publication (worded to the effect of a Bantam edition first published 1979), and the wrappers bear the original cover art and the original printed cover price
- Later printings are common in this heavily reprinted market and are told apart by revised printing statements, altered cover art, and higher printed prices, so a first is confirmed by the 1979 date together with the earliest printing wording and the original price on the wrapper
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, dated 1979 on the copyright page, with no preceding US… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, dated 1979 on the copyright page, with no preceding US hardcover; the paperback is the first appearance. On a genuine first printing the copyright page carries L'Amour's Bantam-era statement of first publication (worded to the effect of a Bantam edition first published 1979), and the wrappers bear the original cover art and the original printed cover price. Later printings are common in this heavily reprinted market and are told apart by revised printing statements, altered cover art, and higher printed prices, so a first is confirmed by the 1979 date together with the earliest printing wording and the original price on the wrapper.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition is the Bantam paperback original; there is no earlier Doubleday or other hardcover to precede it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; issued as a mass-market paperback original, so no book-club edition point applies. Guard only against later Bantam reprintings, identified by revised printing statements and later cover prices.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Proving Trail* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-proving-trail
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.