# Is "Lay Down My Sword and Shield" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lay Down My Sword and Shield by James Lee Burke (Thomas Y. Crowell, 1971) is identified by: Crowell, New York, 1971; first printing indicated by the publisher's first-edition statement on the copyright page (Crowell of this era did not use a number line). The US Crowell edition of 1971 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1971; first printing indicated by the publisher's first-edition statement on the copyright page (Crowell of this era did not use a number line)
- Bound in tan cloth; approximately 266 pages
- The first-issue dust jacket carries a black-and-white photograph of the author (in sunglasses) on the rear panel and retains its printed flap price
- Three binding variants are recorded with priority undetermined
- Publisher imprint reads Thomas Y. Crowell
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Thomas Y. Crowell |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1971; first printing indicated by the publisher's first-edition statement on the copyright page (Crowell of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1971; first printing indicated by the publisher's first-edition statement on the copyright page (Crowell of this era did not use a number line). Bound in tan cloth; approximately 266 pages. The first-issue dust jacket carries a black-and-white photograph of the author (in sunglasses) on the rear panel and retains its printed flap price. Three binding variants are recorded with priority undetermined.

## Is this the true first?
The US Crowell edition of 1971 is the true first. This is the first Hackberry Holland novel and an early Burke title; genuinely scarce in the jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition displaces the true first; confirm by the printed first-edition statement on the copyright page and the intact jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lay Down My Sword and Shield* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lay-down-my-sword-and-shield
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.