# Is "One Fearful Yellow Eye" by John D. MacDonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of One Fearful Yellow Eye by John D. MacDonald (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1966) is identified by: Gold Medal paperback original, 1966, Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Connecticut. Paperback original; the Fawcett Gold Medal wraps edition is the true first, with no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gold Medal paperback original, 1966, Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Connecticut
- Travis McGee #8
- The first printing is identified by the Gold Medal serial number d1750 and the printed cover price, both intact on the front of the glossy yellow-and-white stiff-card pictorial wraps
- The front cover art shows McGee and a woman on a massage bench against a Chicago cityscape (the novel departs from McGee's usual Florida setting), with an author photograph by Jerry Bauer on the rear wrap
- Later printings can be told apart by a changed serial number and a higher printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Fawcett Gold Medal
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John D. MacDonald |
| Publisher | Fawcett Gold Medal |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gold Medal paperback original, 1966, Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Connecticut |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Gold Medal paperback original, 1966, Fawcett Publications, Greenwich, Connecticut. Travis McGee #8. The first printing is identified by the Gold Medal serial number d1750 and the printed cover price, both intact on the front of the glossy yellow-and-white stiff-card pictorial wraps. The front cover art shows McGee and a woman on a massage bench against a Chicago cityscape (the novel departs from McGee's usual Florida setting), with an author photograph by Jerry Bauer on the rear wrap. Later printings can be told apart by a changed serial number and a higher printed price.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original; the Fawcett Gold Medal wraps edition is the true first, with no preceding hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Gold Medal/Fawcett printings exist; identify the first by the d1750 serial number and the original printed cover price on the front wrap. No book-club edition applies to a Gold Medal paperback original.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *One Fearful Yellow Eye* by John D. MacDonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/one-fearful-yellow-eye
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.