Lonesome Dove

The Book-of-the-Month Club printing is near-identical to the trade first and is the single most common 'mistaken first' for this title. The decisive tell is the copyright page: the trade first carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, which the club printing lacks (book clubs of the 1980s dropped the number line to save ink). The club jacket is also unpriced, whereas the trade first is priced at the flap. Do NOT rely on a rear-board blind stamp — it is inconsistent on copies of this era; use the number line and the priced jacket as the primary tests.