NMLP P-018888 · True-first precedence · minted 2026-07-04

The Sins of the Fathers

Lawrence Block · Dell · 1976

The US Dell paperback original is the true first (1976); it introduces Matthew Scudder, the melancholy, alcoholic ex-cop protagonist. Hardcover editions of the title appeared only years later.

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New Mexico Literacy Project — True-first precedence NMLP P-018888 for "The Sins of the Fathers" by Lawrence Block (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/id/point/p-018888, CC BY 4.0, dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21184548).