# Is "Blue Pastures" by Mary Oliver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blue Pastures by Mary Oliver (Harcourt Brace, 1995) is identified by: Prose collection of fifteen essays. US Harcourt Brace is the true first; prose collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Prose collection of fifteen essays
- First edition, Harcourt Brace, cloth-backed boards with dust jacket
- First printing follows the publisher's copyright and number-line convention for 1995
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Oliver |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Prose collection of fifteen essays |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Prose collection of fifteen essays. First edition, Harcourt Brace, cloth-backed boards with dust jacket. First printing follows the publisher's copyright and number-line convention for 1995.

## Is this the true first?
US Harcourt Brace is the true first; prose collection.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blue Pastures* by Mary Oliver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blue-pastures
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.