# Is "Utah Blaine (as Jim Mayo)" by Louis L'Amour a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Utah Blaine (as Jim Mayo) by Louis L'Amour (Ace Books, 1954) is identified by: Ace Double paperback original, catalog number D-48, issued 1954 under the pseudonym 'Jim Mayo.' It is bound tete-beche (back-to-back, dos-a-dos with two front covers) with 'Desert Showdown' by Brad Ward (a pen name of Samuel A. True first US edition; a pseudonymous Ace Double paperback original of 1954.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ace Double paperback original, catalog number D-48, issued 1954 under the pseudonym 'Jim Mayo.' It is bound tete-beche (back-to-back, dos-a-dos with two front covers) with 'Desert Showdown' by Brad Ward (a pen name of Samuel A. Peeples)
- Perfect-bound in pictorial wrappers; as a paperback original there is no dust jacket and no number line, so the Ace catalog designation D-48 and the 'Jim Mayo' byline are the identifying points
- Most surviving copies show reading wear, spine lean, and cover creasing because these were disposable drugstore and newsstand paperbacks
- Publisher imprint reads Ace Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louis L'Amour |
| Publisher | Ace Books |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ace Double paperback original, catalog number D-48, issued 1954 under the pseudonym 'Jim Mayo.' It is bound tete-beche (back-to-back… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ace Double paperback original, catalog number D-48, issued 1954 under the pseudonym 'Jim Mayo.' It is bound tete-beche (back-to-back, dos-a-dos with two front covers) with 'Desert Showdown' by Brad Ward (a pen name of Samuel A. Peeples). Perfect-bound in pictorial wrappers; as a paperback original there is no dust jacket and no number line, so the Ace catalog designation D-48 and the 'Jim Mayo' byline are the identifying points. Most surviving copies show reading wear, spine lean, and cover creasing because these were disposable drugstore and newsstand paperbacks.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition; a pseudonymous Ace Double paperback original of 1954. The novel later appeared under L'Amour's own name in reprint, but the D-48 'Jim Mayo' Ace Double is the first appearance in book form.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition exists of the original; this is a paperback original identified by the Ace catalog number D-48 and the tete-beche pairing with 'Desert Showdown.' Later mass-market reprints drop the pseudonym and the double-novel format.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Utah Blaine (as Jim Mayo)* by Louis L'Amour a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/utah-blaine-as-jim-mayo
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.