# Is "Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen" by Larry McMurtry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen by Larry McMurtry (Simon & Schuster, 1999) is identified by: Simon & Schuster first printing, New York, 1999 (ISBN 9780684854960), with a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. True first US edition of the memoir; identified by the complete number line ending in 1 together with the first-issue photographic jacket.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Simon & Schuster first printing, New York, 1999 (ISBN 9780684854960), with a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Full subtitle: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond
- About 204 pages in tan paper-covered boards with a blue backstrip and gilt spine lettering
- The first-issue dust jacket carries a color photograph of a Dairy Queen along a two-lane rural highway across both panels, with the title in black and the author in white, and a black-and-white photograph of McMurtry on the back flap; the printed jacket price should be present on the front flap
- Memoir/essay
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry McMurtry |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Simon & Schuster first printing, New York, 1999 (ISBN 9780684854960), with a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Simon & Schuster first printing, New York, 1999 (ISBN 9780684854960), with a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Full subtitle: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond. About 204 pages in tan paper-covered boards with a blue backstrip and gilt spine lettering. The first-issue dust jacket carries a color photograph of a Dairy Queen along a two-lane rural highway across both panels, with the title in black and the author in white, and a black-and-white photograph of McMurtry on the back flap; the printed jacket price should be present on the front flap. Memoir/essay.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition of the memoir; identified by the complete number line ending in 1 together with the first-issue photographic jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition concern; confirm the number line terminates in 1 and that the photographic jacket retains its printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen* by Larry McMurtry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/walter-benjamin-at-the-dairy-queen
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.