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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Crossfire Trail by Louis L'Amour (Ace Books, 1954) is identified by: Ace Double paperback original (D-52), Ace Books, New York, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name and bound tête-bêche (back-to-back, dos-à-dos) with 'Boomtown Buccaneers' by William Colt MacDonald. True first US; paperback original under the L'Amour byline (not the Jim Mayo pseudonym).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace Double paperback original (D-52), Ace Books, New York, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name and bound tête-bêche (back-to-back, dos-à-dos) with 'Boomtown Buccaneers' by William Colt MacDonald
- Perfect-bound pictorial wrappers with cover art by Lou Glanzman; the printed price should be present on the front cover
- First printing carries the D-52 designation with no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace Double paperback original (D-52), Ace Books, New York, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name and bound tête-bêche (back-to-back… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ace Double paperback original (D-52), Ace Books, New York, 1954, published under L'Amour's own name and bound tête-bêche (back-to-back, dos-à-dos) with 'Boomtown Buccaneers' by William Colt MacDonald. Perfect-bound pictorial wrappers with cover art by Lou Glanzman; the printed price should be present on the front cover. First printing carries the D-52 designation with no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
True first US; paperback original under the L'Amour byline (not the Jim Mayo pseudonym). Expanded from his earlier magazine story 'The Trail to Crazy Man' (first published in West, July 1948).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; paperback original.

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