SOLD in September 2026.

LE MAY, Alan. The Searchers. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954.

First Edition. First Printing. Signed Limited Issue. 8vo. 21 cm tall. 272 pages. Publisher’s quarter black cloth over terra-cotta cloth-covered boards. Copyright page states “FIRST EDITION” and shows “H-D” printer’s code. Tipped-in signed limitation leaf states this is one of 800 copies of the first edition specially autographed for presentation to friends of the author and publisher in the book trade; no limitation number present. Dust jacket priced $3.00 on front flap (unclipped). Very Good- in a Good+ dust jacket. Moderate wear to spine ends with fraying. Spine cloth at head just starting to lift from text block. Mild wear to board corners. Mild toning and trace foxing. Pronounced losses to spine ends and edges of dust jacket; no loss to printed text. Moderate toning and fading to dust jacket. Ownership label of W. L. (Bill) Willis Jr. of WRVA Richmond (the “Voice of Virginia” and a major clear-channel AM station) to front pastedown; Willis is documented as having been a WRVA publicity director. Ownership blind stamp of Laverne M. Hall to RFEP.

One of Alan Le May’s most famous works and the definitive source text for John Ford’s landmark 1956 film of the same name.
The film adaptation, starring John Wayne and featuring Natalie Wood, was selected for the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 1989 (the inaugural year of the Registry) and was honored by the American Film Institute as the greatest Western film.
This copy, a rare signed trade-presentation issue produced for the author and publisher’s inner circle, offers broadcast media provenance that resonates with the work’s cultural reach.

Genre Fiction

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The Searchers (1954) — Alan Le May — First Edition | First Printing | Signed Limited Issue