# Is "The American West as Living Space" by Wallace Stegner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The American West as Living Space by Wallace Stegner (University of Michigan Press, 1987) is identified by: University of Michigan Press first edition, 1987, deriving from the William W. True first US edition (lectures).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- University of Michigan Press first edition, 1987, deriving from the William W. Cook Lectures delivered at the University of Michigan Law School in October 1986; three lectures ('Living Dry,' 'Striking the Rock,' 'Variations on a Theme by Crevecoeur'), about 104 pages
- Issued in both a cloth hardcover and a paperback the same year
- Publisher imprint reads University of Michigan Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stegner |
| Publisher | University of Michigan Press |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | University of Michigan Press first edition, 1987, deriving from the William W. Cook… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
University of Michigan Press first edition, 1987, deriving from the William W. Cook Lectures delivered at the University of Michigan Law School in October 1986; three lectures ('Living Dry,' 'Striking the Rock,' 'Variations on a Theme by Crevecoeur'), about 104 pages. Issued in both a cloth hardcover and a paperback the same year.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition (lectures). Both the cloth and paperback issues appeared in 1987 from the University of Michigan Press.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; confirm the University of Michigan Press imprint and 1987 date.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The American West as Living Space* by Wallace Stegner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-american-west-as-living-space
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.