# Is "The Quick Red Fox" by John D. MacDonald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Quick Red Fox by John D. MacDonald (Fawcett Gold Medal, 1964) is identified by: Gold Medal paperback original, September 1964, Travis McGee #4. A paperback original with no earlier hardcover; the Gold Medal wraps issue (k1464) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gold Medal paperback original, September 1964, Travis McGee #4
- Published by Fawcett Gold Medal, Greenwich, Connecticut, and identified by the Gold Medal catalog number k1464 printed on the spine and front cover; the first printing carries the printed cover printed price and shows no statement of a later printing
- Issued in pictorial wraps with cover art; there is no dust jacket, as with all Gold Medal wraps originals
- Publisher imprint reads Fawcett Gold Medal
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John D. MacDonald |
| Publisher | Fawcett Gold Medal |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gold Medal paperback original, September 1964, Travis McGee #4 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Gold Medal paperback original, September 1964, Travis McGee #4. Published by Fawcett Gold Medal, Greenwich, Connecticut, and identified by the Gold Medal catalog number k1464 printed on the spine and front cover; the first printing carries the printed cover printed price and shows no statement of a later printing. Issued in pictorial wraps with cover art; there is no dust jacket, as with all Gold Medal wraps originals.

## Is this the true first?
A paperback original with no earlier hardcover; the Gold Medal wraps issue (k1464) is the true first. British hardcover appearances under the Robert Hale imprint came later and do not precede it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Gold Medal/Fawcett printings retain or renumber the Gold Medal designation and often show a higher price or a printing statement; the first is the k1464 wraps issue at the printed price with no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Quick Red Fox* by John D. MacDonald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-quick-red-fox
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.