# Is "The Specialists" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Specialists by Lawrence Block (Gold Medal, 1969) is identified by: Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, no prior hardcover. True first is the US Fawcett Gold Medal paperback original (Gold Medal R2067, 1969); the title had no hardcover appearance until much later reprints, including a Carroll & Graf paperback (1993) and a James Cahill Publishing hardcover (1996).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, no prior hardcover
- The first printing is the Fawcett Gold Medal edition numbered R2067 on the cover and spine, with the printed cover price present and no later-printing statement; the copyright page shows only the 1969 Gold Medal notice
- Conceived as the opener of a projected action-adventure series about five former Green Berets
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | Gold Medal |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, no prior hardcover |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, no prior hardcover. The first printing is the Fawcett Gold Medal edition numbered R2067 on the cover and spine, with the printed cover price present and no later-printing statement; the copyright page shows only the 1969 Gold Medal notice. Conceived as the opener of a projected action-adventure series about five former Green Berets.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the US Fawcett Gold Medal paperback original (Gold Medal R2067, 1969); the title had no hardcover appearance until much later reprints, including a Carroll & Graf paperback (1993) and a James Cahill Publishing hardcover (1996). The 1969 Gold Medal wrappers are the first appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition exists; the Gold Medal R2067 paperback original is the true first. Later Carroll & Graf and Cahill reprints are distinguished by their own imprints and dates, not by book-club tells.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Specialists* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-specialists
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.