# Is "The Searchers" by Alan Le May a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Searchers by Alan Le May (Harper & Brothers, 1954) is identified by: Harper & Brothers, 1954, the source novel for the 1956 John Ford and John Wayne film. The US Harper first is the true first; the source novel for one of the most celebrated Westerns ever filmed, which drives its collectibility.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harper & Brothers, 1954, the source novel for the 1956 John Ford and John Wayne film
- The first edition carries the Harper letter-date code H-D on the copyright page, where H corresponds to August and D to 1954, beneath the first-edition designation
- First-state jacket carries its printed price
- Identify by the H-D code together with the 1954 Harper imprint
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alan Le May |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harper & Brothers, 1954, the source novel for the 1956 John Ford and John Wayne film |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Harper & Brothers, 1954, the source novel for the 1956 John Ford and John Wayne film. The first edition carries the Harper letter-date code H-D on the copyright page, where H corresponds to August and D to 1954, beneath the first-edition designation. First-state jacket carries its printed price. Identify by the H-D code together with the 1954 Harper imprint.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper first is the true first; the source novel for one of the most celebrated Westerns ever filmed, which drives its collectibility.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the Harper letter-date code and the priced jacket and may show a blind stamp to the rear board. Verify the H-D code on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Searchers* by Alan Le May a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-searchers
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.