# Is "Fiber" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fiber by Rick Bass (University of Georgia Press, 1998) is identified by: University of Georgia Press first printing; dated 1998; issued as a slim quarter-cloth hardcover with dust jacket, illustrated by Elizabeth Hughes Bass. True first separate US edition (the text first appeared as a short story in the anthology 'Off the Beaten Path'; this is its first stand-alone publication).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- University of Georgia Press first printing; dated 1998; issued as a slim quarter-cloth hardcover with dust jacket, illustrated by Elizabeth Hughes Bass
- A separate signed, hand-numbered limited edition of 200 copies also exists
- Publisher imprint reads University of Georgia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | University of Georgia Press |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | University of Georgia Press first printing; dated 1998; issued as a slim quarter-cloth… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
University of Georgia Press first printing; dated 1998; issued as a slim quarter-cloth hardcover with dust jacket, illustrated by Elizabeth Hughes Bass. A separate signed, hand-numbered limited edition of 200 copies also exists.

## Is this the true first?
True first separate US edition (the text first appeared as a short story in the anthology 'Off the Beaten Path'; this is its first stand-alone publication).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition concern. Distinguish the standard trade hardcover from the signed limited edition of 200 copies.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fiber* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fiber
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.