# Is "The Empty Land" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Empty Land by Louis L'Amour (Bantam Books, 1969) is identified by: Bantam paperback original, 1969, Bantam catalog number H3935 (printed on the front cover and back cover). True first edition is the 1969 Bantam paperback original (H3935); there was no prior hardcover, so this mass-market issue is the genuine first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam paperback original, 1969, Bantam catalog number H3935 (printed on the front cover and back cover)
- The true first printing carries the original H3935 catalog number and the original cover printed price, with no later-printing statement or revised catalog number on the copyright page
- On genuine first printings the Bantam number line / printing statement on the copyright page shows no advancement beyond the first; later Bantam printings advance the printing statement and typically show a raised cover price, which is the clearest tell separating a first printing from the many subsequent Bantam reprints of this popular Western
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam paperback original, 1969, Bantam catalog number H3935 (printed on the front cover and back cover) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Bantam paperback original, 1969, Bantam catalog number H3935 (printed on the front cover and back cover). The true first printing carries the original H3935 catalog number and the original cover printed price, with no later-printing statement or revised catalog number on the copyright page. On genuine first printings the Bantam number line / printing statement on the copyright page shows no advancement beyond the first; later Bantam printings advance the printing statement and typically show a raised cover price, which is the clearest tell separating a first printing from the many subsequent Bantam reprints of this popular Western.

## Is this the true first?
True first edition is the 1969 Bantam paperback original (H3935); there was no prior hardcover, so this mass-market issue is the genuine first. Later editions include a mid-1970s and 1980s Bantam reissue and the 2021 Lost Treasures edition, none of which is the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; paperback original, not a Book Club Edition. Distinguish the first printing from later Bantam printings by the unadvanced copyright-page printing statement and the original the printed price cover price rather than by any club marking.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Empty Land* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-empty-land
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.