# Is "Pieces of White Shell: A Journey to Navajoland" by Terry Tempest Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pieces of White Shell: A Journey to Navajoland by Terry Tempest Williams (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1984) is identified by: Scribner's first-printing tell of the period: letter 'A' present at the base of the copyright-page number sequence; New York imprint dated 1984; illustrated by Clifford Brycelea. True first US edition and Williams's first adult book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Scribner's first-printing tell of the period: letter 'A' present at the base of the copyright-page number sequence
- New York imprint dated 1984; illustrated by Clifford Brycelea
- Issued in half beige cloth over sea-green paper boards with a dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Terry Tempest Williams |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Scribner's first-printing tell of the period: letter 'A' present at the base of the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Scribner's first-printing tell of the period: letter 'A' present at the base of the copyright-page number sequence; New York imprint dated 1984; illustrated by Clifford Brycelea. Issued in half beige cloth over sea-green paper boards with a dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition and Williams's first adult book. Look for the Scribner 'A' at the foot of the copyright page.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm the Scribner 'A' to distinguish the true first from later printings. The later University of New Mexico Press edition (ISBN 0826309693) is a reprint, not a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pieces of White Shell: A Journey to Navajoland* by Terry Tempest Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pieces-of-white-shell-a-journey-to-navajoland
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.