# Is "Callaghen" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Callaghen by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1972) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, 1972, issued directly as a mass-market paperback (approximately 183 pages, roughly 4 by 7 inches). True first is the US Bantam paperback original of 1972; no hardcover precedes it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, 1972, issued directly as a mass-market paperback (approximately 183 pages, roughly 4 by 7 inches)
- The first printing is identified by the Bantam edition statement on the copyright page dated 1972 and the original printed cover price; no earlier hardcover or book-club form precedes it
- Later Bantam reissues, the leatherette Louis L'Amour Collection volume, and the still-later Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures edition are all subsequent to the 1972 wrappers
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, 1972, issued directly as a mass-market paperback (approximately 183 pages, roughly 4 by 7 inches) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, 1972, issued directly as a mass-market paperback (approximately 183 pages, roughly 4 by 7 inches). The first printing is identified by the Bantam edition statement on the copyright page dated 1972 and the original printed cover price; no earlier hardcover or book-club form precedes it. Later Bantam reissues, the leatherette Louis L'Amour Collection volume, and the still-later Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures edition are all subsequent to the 1972 wrappers.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the US Bantam paperback original of 1972; no hardcover precedes it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable to a paperback original; there is no separate book-club edition, though the leatherette Louis L'Amour Collection and the Lost Treasures reissue are later reprints, not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Callaghen* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/callaghen
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.