The points of issue
First edition in gray cloth over boards, with the title stamped in white ink on the backstrip and a white-ink wolf vignette on the front board; octavo, about 261 pages, with an illustrated dust jacket. The copyright page carries no later-printing statement.
Is this the true first?
The US Duell, Sloan and Pearce 1942 printing is the true first. Fisher substantially revised the text for a 1951 edition, adding her bracketed commentary, so the 1942 printing is the only true first of the original text; the 1951 is a distinct revised edition, or first thus.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1951 revised edition and the 1954 omnibus The Art of Eating are later forms, not firsts. Advance review copies exist and predate the trade issue, but they are a separate state rather than the published first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of How to Cook a Wolf a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition in gray cloth over boards, with the title stamped in white ink on the backstrip and a white-ink wolf vignette on the front board; octavo, about 261 pages, with an illustrated dust jacket. The copyright page carries no later-printing statement.
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. The US Duell, Sloan and Pearce 1942 printing is the true first. Fisher substantially revised the text for a 1951 edition, adding her bracketed commentary, so the 1942 printing is the only true first of the original text; the 1951 is a distinct revised edition, or first thus.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The 1951 revised edition and the 1954 omnibus The Art of Eating are later forms, not firsts. Advance review copies exist and predate the trade issue, but they are a separate state rather than the published first.
I have a first edition of How to Cook a Wolf — 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.