# Is "The Drive-In" by Joe R. Lansdale a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale (Bantam, 1988) is identified by: US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1988, ISBN 0-553-27481-3 (9780553274813), with the complete number line present down to 1 on the copyright page. The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (1988, ISBN 0-553-27481-3) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1988, ISBN 0-553-27481-3
- , with the complete number line present down to 1 on the copyright page
- The full title reads 'The Drive-In: A B-Movie with Blood and Popcorn, Made in Texas.' Roughly 158 pages; a comic science-fiction/horror novel and World Fantasy Award nominee
- As a paperback original the wrappers themselves carry the price; there is no dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe R. Lansdale |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1988, ISBN 0-553-27481-3 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Bantam Spectra mass-market paperback original, 1988, ISBN 0-553-27481-3 (9780553274813), with the complete number line present down to 1 on the copyright page. The full title reads 'The Drive-In: A B-Movie with Blood and Popcorn, Made in Texas.' Roughly 158 pages; a comic science-fiction/horror novel and World Fantasy Award nominee. As a paperback original the wrappers themselves carry the price; there is no dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bantam Spectra paperback original (1988, ISBN 0-553-27481-3) is the true first. The New English Library (UK) edition, ISBN 0-450-51570-2, is a later, separate printing and does not have precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Drive-In* by Joe R. Lansdale a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-drive-in
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.