# Is "Wayfaring Stranger" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2014) is identified by: The copyright page states First Edition together with a complete descending Simon & Schuster number line in the form 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the final 1 confirming the first printing; the volume runs to roughly 435 pages. The US Simon & Schuster hardcover of July 2014 is the true first; it centers on Weldon Holland and opens the later Holland family sequence continued by House of the Rising Sun and The Jealous Kind.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states First Edition together with a complete descending Simon & Schuster number line in the form 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the final 1 confirming the first printing; the volume runs to roughly 435 pages
- The unclipped dust jacket carries the front-panel art and the author photograph and biography, with the printed price present on the front flap
- Publisher-arranged signed first printings, signed by Burke on the title page, were issued from the July 2014 publication
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states First Edition together with a complete descending Simon &… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states First Edition together with a complete descending Simon & Schuster number line in the form 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the final 1 confirming the first printing; the volume runs to roughly 435 pages. The unclipped dust jacket carries the front-panel art and the author photograph and biography, with the printed price present on the front flap. Publisher-arranged signed first printings, signed by Burke on the title page, were issued from the July 2014 publication.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster hardcover of July 2014 is the true first; it centers on Weldon Holland and opens the later Holland family sequence continued by House of the Rising Sun and The Jealous Kind. Signed first printings were signed by the author on the title page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue; the stated First Edition with full number line ending in 1 identifies the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wayfaring Stranger* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wayfaring-stranger
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.