# Is "My First Summer in the Sierra" by John Muir a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir (Houghton Mifflin, 1911) is identified by: First trade edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1911 (published June 1911), with illustrations from the author's pencil sketches and from photographs (plates by Herbert W. True first US (Houghton Mifflin, 1911).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1911 (published June 1911), with illustrations from the author's pencil sketches and from photographs (plates by Herbert W. Gleason and others) and a folding map; issued under the Riverside Press imprint
- The first printing carries the 1911 imprint and no statement of later printings on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Muir |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1911 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1911 (published June 1911), with illustrations from the author's pencil sketches and from… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First trade edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1911 (published June 1911), with illustrations from the author's pencil sketches and from photographs (plates by Herbert W. Gleason and others) and a folding map; issued under the Riverside Press imprint. The first printing carries the 1911 imprint and no statement of later printings on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
True first US (Houghton Mifflin, 1911). The text first appeared in part in The Atlantic Monthly in 1911 before the full book. Constable issued the UK edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Numerous later Houghton Mifflin and Sierra Club reprints exist; confirm the 1911 imprint and the absence of additional-printing notations. Modern illustrated reissues are 'first thus.'

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My First Summer in the Sierra* by John Muir a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-first-summer-in-the-sierra
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.