# Is "Edge of Taos Desert signed first" by Mabel Dodge Luhan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Edge of Taos Desert signed first by Mabel Dodge Luhan (Harcourt Brace, 1937) is identified by: The true first edition of Edge of Taos Desert (subtitled An Escape to Reality) is the Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1937 issue, bound in publisher's blue cloth and issued in a pictorial dust jacket. US first edition, Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1937.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition of Edge of Taos Desert (subtitled An Escape to Reality) is the Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1937 issue, bound in publisher's blue cloth and issued in a pictorial dust jacket
- It is the fourth and final volume of Luhan's autobiography series Intimate Memories, following Background
- , European Experiences
- , and Movers and Shakers
- A signed or inscribed first-edition copy in the original dust jacket is the most desirable state; the jacket should retain its printed flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mabel Dodge Luhan |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace |
| Year | 1937 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition of Edge of Taos Desert (subtitled An Escape to Reality) is the Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1937 issue… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition of Edge of Taos Desert (subtitled An Escape to Reality) is the Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1937 issue, bound in publisher's blue cloth and issued in a pictorial dust jacket. It is the fourth and final volume of Luhan's autobiography series Intimate Memories, following Background (1933), European Experiences (1935), and Movers and Shakers (1936). A signed or inscribed first-edition copy in the original dust jacket is the most desirable state; the jacket should retain its printed flap price.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1937.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Edge of Taos Desert signed first* by Mabel Dodge Luhan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/edge-of-taos-desert-signed-first
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.