# Is "Mountains and Rivers Without End" by Gary Snyder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mountains and Rivers Without End by Gary Snyder (Counterpoint, 1996) is identified by: Counterpoint, Washington, D.C., 1996, first printing with the number line ending in 1. True first US edition of the completed work; the trade first is the quarter-cloth Counterpoint hardcover in jacket.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Counterpoint, Washington, D.C., 1996, first printing with the number line ending in 1
- Quarter red cloth over green paper boards, gilt lettering, pictorial endpapers, in dust jacket
- The completed long poem
- A separate signed limited edition of 150 copies also exists
- Publisher imprint reads Counterpoint
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gary Snyder |
| Publisher | Counterpoint |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Counterpoint, Washington, D.C., 1996, first printing with the number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Counterpoint, Washington, D.C., 1996, first printing with the number line ending in 1. Quarter red cloth over green paper boards, gilt lettering, pictorial endpapers, in dust jacket. The completed long poem. A separate signed limited edition of 150 copies also exists.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition of the completed work; the trade first is the quarter-cloth Counterpoint hardcover in jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition of concern.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mountains and Rivers Without End* by Gary Snyder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mountains-and-rivers-without-end
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.