# Is "Jacklight" by Louise Erdrich a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jacklight by Louise Erdrich (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984) is identified by: Erdrich's first book (poetry). US Holt 1984 trade paperback original is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Erdrich's first book (poetry)
- Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984 (ISBN 0-03-068682-2), a trade paperback original issued in stiff pictorial wrappers with cover design by David Gatti
- Confirm the 1984 first-printing state and absence of later printing statements
- Publisher imprint reads Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Louise Erdrich |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Erdrich's first book (poetry) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Erdrich's first book (poetry). Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1984 (ISBN 0-03-068682-2), a trade paperback original issued in stiff pictorial wrappers with cover design by David Gatti; 85 pp. Confirm the 1984 first-printing state and absence of later printing statements.

## Is this the true first?
US Holt 1984 trade paperback original is the true first. It was issued only in wrappers; there is no clothbound or hardcover first edition of Jacklight.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue. Distinguish later printings by added printing lines; the first is a paperback original, so do not expect a hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jacklight* by Louise Erdrich a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jacklight
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.