The Blessing Way [Sidewinder Publishing, illustrated hardcover, 2006]

This is a 2006 illustrated hardcover edition of Tony Hillerman's first novel, The Blessing Way with illustrations are by Ernest Franklin and an introduction by Ernie Bulow. It was published in 2006 by Sidewinder Publishing in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This is a hardcover book with a dust jacket and a slipcase. The jacket design is by Ernie Bulow and has a whitish-gray background. On the front cover, the book title is printed at the top in red, in a smeared font which could represent blood. The author's name is printed just below, in the form of his signature. Two illustrations are spattered in pale red: The first of a man's head with long hair, wearing a wolf skin; and the second of another man wearing a Western hat. On the back, the red spatters are repeated in fully saturated color, above a sketch of a hogan with smoke rising from the chimney, and a pickup truck driving away towards a stone outcropping in the distance.

The fold-outs have a black background. The front fold-out contains biographical information about Tony Hillerman and a description of the edition, above a drawing of a dead tree with a red spot above it. On the back fold-out, horizontally, is printed a photograph of Irene and Ernest Franklin with Tony and Marie Hillerman, taken at the dinner honoring Hillerman as Notable New Mexican 2004. This photo is credited to Michelle Peina Bulow. The end papers are charcoal and the free end papers, both front and back, are printed with a design of two small figures with large hands and feet in gold.

The book is fully bound in black cloth, with the title, author's name, and publisher's logo printed in gold on the spine. The slipcase is black with faux leather grain, and has the publisher's logo and initials embossed on the front in gold.

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