# Is "Education of a Wandering Man" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1989) is identified by: Bantam Books hardcover first edition, New York, dated 1989, with dust jacket present (ISBN 0-553-05703-0). True first US edition, published in 1989 after L'Amour's June 1988 death; no earlier edition precedes the Bantam hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam Books hardcover first edition, New York, dated 1989, with dust jacket present (ISBN 0-553-05703-0)
- The first printing is identified on the copyright page by the complete number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 with no stated later-printing wording
- L'Amour's posthumously published memoir; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (a price-clipped jacket is acceptable but the price should originally have been present)
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam Books hardcover first edition, New York, dated 1989, with dust jacket present (ISBN 0-553-05703-0) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Bantam Books hardcover first edition, New York, dated 1989, with dust jacket present (ISBN 0-553-05703-0). The first printing is identified on the copyright page by the complete number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 with no stated later-printing wording. L'Amour's posthumously published memoir; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (a price-clipped jacket is acceptable but the price should originally have been present).

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition, published in 1989 after L'Amour's June 1988 death; no earlier edition precedes the Bantam hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the low digits from the number line (for example beginning at 2 or higher) and may carry a printing statement; a genuine first printing retains the full 1-through-10 sequence. Large-print and later reissue editions carry different ISBNs and are obviously subsequent.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Education of a Wandering Man* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/education-of-a-wandering-man
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.