# Is "Westward the Tide" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Westward the Tide by Louis L'Amour (World's Work, 1950) is identified by: L'Amour's first full-length novel under his own name, first published in England by World's Work (Kingswood) in 1950. The 1950 World's Work UK hardcover is the true first edition of L'Amour's first novel, a key and often-overlooked high spot.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- L'Amour's first full-length novel under his own name, first published in England by World's Work (Kingswood) in 1950
- Identify by the World's Work imprint, the 1950 date, and a UK hardcover with dust jacket and no later-impression statement
- The novel did not appear in the US until decades later, so the UK hardcover precedes any American edition
- Publisher imprint reads World's Work
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | World's Work |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | L'Amour's first full-length novel under his own name, first published in England by World's Work (Kingswood) in 1950 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
L'Amour's first full-length novel under his own name, first published in England by World's Work (Kingswood) in 1950. Identify by the World's Work imprint, the 1950 date, and a UK hardcover with dust jacket and no later-impression statement. The novel did not appear in the US until decades later, so the UK hardcover precedes any American edition.

## Is this the true first?
The 1950 World's Work UK hardcover is the true first edition of L'Amour's first novel, a key and often-overlooked high spot. The 1977 Bantam US paperback is only a first thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of note; common copies are the much later Bantam paperback. The collectible is the 1950 UK World's Work hardcover with its jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Westward the Tide* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/westward-the-tide
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.