# Is "Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters" by Annie Dillard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie Dillard (Harper & Row, 1982) is identified by: First edition in cloth-backed boards with the Harper & Row 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the publisher number line on the copyright page. US Harper & Row (New York) is the true first, 1982.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in cloth-backed boards with the Harper & Row 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the publisher number line on the copyright page
- Note the Harper & Row-era caution: the house often failed to remove the 'FIRST EDITION' slug on later printings, so the first printing must be confirmed by an intact number line and not by the words alone
- The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price, which is commonly found price-clipped and should ideally be present
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Dillard |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in cloth-backed boards with the Harper & Row 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the publisher number line on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition in cloth-backed boards with the Harper & Row 'FIRST EDITION' statement and the publisher number line on the copyright page. Note the Harper & Row-era caution: the house often failed to remove the 'FIRST EDITION' slug on later printings, so the first printing must be confirmed by an intact number line and not by the words alone. The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price, which is commonly found price-clipped and should ideally be present.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row (New York) is the true first, 1982.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm the FIRST EDITION statement together with the intact number line, since Harper & Row retained the statement on later printings; book-club issues lack the jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters* by Annie Dillard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/teaching-a-stone-to-talk-expeditions-and-encounters
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.