# Is "The Sour Lemon Score (Parker #12)" by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sour Lemon Score (Parker #12) by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1969) is identified by: Gold Medal paperback original, 1969. Paperback original; the Gold Medal PBO is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gold Medal paperback original, 1969
- First printing with the original cover price and no later-printing statement
- Twelfth Parker novel and the last of the four Gold Medal Parker paperbacks before the series moved to Random House hardcovers
- Publisher imprint reads Fawcett Gold Medal
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) |
| Publisher | Fawcett Gold Medal |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gold Medal paperback original, 1969 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Gold Medal paperback original, 1969. First printing with the original cover price and no later-printing statement. Twelfth Parker novel and the last of the four Gold Medal Parker paperbacks before the series moved to Random House hardcovers.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; the Gold Medal PBO is the true first. No prior hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprinted later; distinguish by the printing statement and price on subsequent printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sour Lemon Score (Parker #12)* by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sour-lemon-score-parker-12
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.