The points of issue
First edition, first printing has the full number line / no additional-printing statement on the copyright page with 1968 copyright. Bound in brown cloth, spine lettered in white and tan; xiv, [2], 269 pp. First-issue dust jacket priced the printed price on the front flap.
Is this the true first?
US McGraw-Hill (1968) is the true first; the UK edition (1968/1969) follows. Abbey's most collected title after The Monkey Wrench Gang. Signed copies command large premiums; verify against authentic Abbey signature exemplars given frequent forgery.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club issue contemporaneous with the first; the common confusions are the 1971 Ballantine paperback and later McGraw-Hill/Touchstone reprints (these are paperback 'first thus,' not the 1968 hardcover first). Any price other than the printed price or a clipped jacket warrants scrutiny.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, first printing has the full number line / no additional-printing statement on the copyright page with 1968 copyright. Bound in brown cloth, spine lettered in white and tan; xiv, [2], 269 pp. First-issue dust jacket priced the printed price on the front flap.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US McGraw-Hill (1968) is the true first; the UK edition (1968/1969) follows. Abbey's most collected title after The Monkey Wrench Gang. Signed copies command large premiums; verify against authentic Abbey signature exemplars given frequent forgery.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No major book-club issue contemporaneous with the first; the common confusions are the 1971 Ballantine paperback and later McGraw-Hill/Touchstone reprints (these are paperback 'first thus,' not the 1968 hardcover first). Any price other than the printed price or a clipped jacket warrants scrutiny.
I have a first edition of Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.