# Is "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (signed/limited and trade first points)" by Annie Dillard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (signed/limited and trade first points) by Annie Dillard (Harper's Magazine Press / Harper & Row, 1974) is identified by: Trade first: Harper's Magazine Press (distributed by Harper & Row), 1974. The US Harper's Magazine Press 1974 trade first is the true first, identified by the full '74 75 76 77...

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first: Harper's Magazine Press (distributed by Harper & Row), 1974
- The true first printing has the complete number line at the foot of the last page of text reading '74 75 76 77 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' and the code 0374 on the inner jacket flap, with the printed price on the jacket
- The copyright page is dated 1974 only
- Dillard's first prose book
- Publisher imprint reads Harper's Magazine Press / Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Dillard |
| Publisher | Harper's Magazine Press / Harper & Row |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first: Harper's Magazine Press (distributed by Harper & Row), 1974 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Trade first: Harper's Magazine Press (distributed by Harper & Row), 1974. The true first printing has the complete number line at the foot of the last page of text reading '74 75 76 77 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1' and the code 0374 on the inner jacket flap, with the printed price on the jacket. The copyright page is dated 1974 only. Dillard's first prose book.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper's Magazine Press 1974 trade first is the true first, identified by the full '74 75 76 77... 1' number line at the rear of the text. Jackets touting the Pulitzer (awarded 1975) are later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Copies lacking the number line at the rear of the text are the simultaneous book-club edition, not the trade first. A 'First U.S. Edition' statement with no number line is a later variant, not the true first printing. Verify the full number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (signed/limited and trade first points)* by Annie Dillard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-signed-limited-and-trade-first-point
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.