# Is "Lonely on the Mountain" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lonely on the Mountain by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1980) is identified by: Bantam mass-market paperback original, dated 1980 on the copyright page (catalog number 14174, ISBN 0553141740), running about 194 pages; the sixteenth Sackett novel and the last to be written. True first US edition is the 1980 Bantam paperback original; no hardcover preceded it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam mass-market paperback original, dated 1980 on the copyright page (catalog number 14174, ISBN 0553141740), running about 194 pages; the sixteenth Sackett novel and the last to be written
- Cover art by Lou Glanzman
- There is no preceding US hardcover, so this paperback is the true first appearance; the earliest state carries the 1980 date and price on the cover with no revised or reissue pricing
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam mass-market paperback original, dated 1980 on the copyright page (catalog number 14174, ISBN 0553141740), running about 194 pages… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Bantam mass-market paperback original, dated 1980 on the copyright page (catalog number 14174, ISBN 0553141740), running about 194 pages; the sixteenth Sackett novel and the last to be written. Cover art by Lou Glanzman. There is no preceding US hardcover, so this paperback is the true first appearance; the earliest state carries the 1980 date and price on the cover with no revised or reissue pricing.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition is the 1980 Bantam paperback original; no hardcover preceded it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable as a paperback original, so no book-club edition point applies; a later Gryphon-issued hardcover exists but is a separate first hardback printing, not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lonely on the Mountain* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lonely-on-the-mountain
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.