# Is "A Place on Earth" by Wendell Berry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Place on Earth by Wendell Berry (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967) is identified by: First US edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967 (Freedman A2a), the author's second novel. True first US edition of the novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967 (Freedman A2a), the author's second novel
- The copyright page carries the publisher's first-edition convention with no later-printing statement
- Bound in light brown boards with the spine titled in dark brown and green, with orange endpapers; roughly 550 pages
- The dust jacket is tan with the illustration printed in brown, green and white, and should retain its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace & World
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wendell Berry |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace & World |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967 (Freedman A2a), the author's second novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967 (Freedman A2a), the author's second novel. The copyright page carries the publisher's first-edition convention with no later-printing statement. Bound in light brown boards with the spine titled in dark brown and green, with orange endpapers; roughly 550 pages. The dust jacket is tan with the illustration printed in brown, green and white, and should retain its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition of the novel. Berry substantially revised and shortened the text for the 1983 North Point Press edition, so the 1967 Harcourt printing preserves the original, longer text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club concern for the Harcourt first; do not confuse the 1983 North Point revised edition with the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Place on Earth* by Wendell Berry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-place-on-earth
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.