# Is "Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water" by Marc Reisner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner (Viking, 1986) is identified by: True first is Viking (Viking Penguin Inc.), New York, 1986. US true first (Viking, New York, 1986); the census 'US only' framing is correct.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is Viking (Viking Penguin Inc.), New York, 1986
- The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First published in 1986 by Viking Penguin Inc.' with no additional printing statement or reprint line indicated
- It is a thick large octavo of 582 pp with photo-reproductions, bibliography and index, bound in black boards with black spine cloth, the spine lettered in dulled copper foil, and issued in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap)
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Marc Reisner |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is Viking (Viking Penguin Inc.), New York, 1986 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is Viking (Viking Penguin Inc.), New York, 1986. The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First published in 1986 by Viking Penguin Inc.' with no additional printing statement or reprint line indicated. It is a thick large octavo of 582 pp with photo-reproductions, bibliography and index, bound in black boards with black spine cloth, the spine lettered in dulled copper foil, and issued in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap).

## Is this the true first?
US true first (Viking, New York, 1986); the census 'US only' framing is correct. The later UK edition (Secker & Warburg) is a subsequent publication and is not collected as the first; no non-English original-language issue applies.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Viking/Penguin hardback printings no longer show the clean unqualified 'First published in 1986' state or add printing indicators, and Penguin paperbacks followed. No distinct hardback book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted; identify the first strictly by the unqualified 1986 Viking Penguin statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water* by Marc Reisner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cadillac-desert-the-american-west-and-its-disappearing-water
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.