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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sitka by Louis L'Amour (Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1957) is identified by: First edition published by Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957, in cloth-backed boards with dust jacket; an early and comparatively scarce L'Amour hardcover, a historical adventure novel about the American annexation of Alaska. True first is the 1957 Appleton-Century-Crofts US hardcover, confirmed by the (1) terminal-page point on the first printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957, in cloth-backed boards with dust jacket; an early and comparatively scarce L'Amour hardcover, a historical adventure novel about the American annexation of Alaska
- The first printing is identified by the numeral
- at the foot of the last page of text; there is no later-printing statement
- The first-issue dust jacket should carry the publisher's printed price on the front flap, and copies are found both priced and price-clipped
- Jacket wear is commonly seen at the head of the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Appleton-Century-Crofts
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Appleton-Century-Crofts |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957, in cloth-backed boards with dust jacket; an early and comparatively… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition published by Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1957, in cloth-backed boards with dust jacket; an early and comparatively scarce L'Amour hardcover, a historical adventure novel about the American annexation of Alaska. The first printing is identified by the numeral (1) at the foot of the last page of text; there is no later-printing statement. The first-issue dust jacket should carry the publisher's printed price on the front flap, and copies are found both priced and price-clipped. Jacket wear is commonly seen at the head of the spine.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1957 Appleton-Century-Crofts US hardcover, confirmed by the (1) terminal-page point on the first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition point is at issue for the first printing; later Bantam paperbacks are reprints and do not carry the (1) point.

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