# Is "The Annie Dillard Reader" by Annie Dillard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Annie Dillard Reader by Annie Dillard (HarperCollins, 1994) is identified by: HarperCollins (New York) first edition, dated 1994 on the copyright page, with 'First Edition' stated and a number line descending to 1. First-thus omnibus collection of previously published work; the value point is the true first printing of this gathering, confirmed by the stated 'First Edition' plus the number line ending in 1.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- HarperCollins (New York) first edition, dated 1994 on the copyright page, with 'First Edition' stated and a number line descending to 1
- Issued in cloth over boards in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap in first state
- First-thus omnibus gathering essays, poems, part of The Living, the whole of Holy the Firm, and excerpts from An American Childhood and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Dillard |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | HarperCollins (New York) first edition, dated 1994 on the copyright page, with 'First… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
HarperCollins (New York) first edition, dated 1994 on the copyright page, with 'First Edition' stated and a number line descending to 1. Issued in cloth over boards in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the front flap in first state. First-thus omnibus gathering essays, poems, part of The Living, the whole of Holy the Firm, and excerpts from An American Childhood and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.

## Is this the true first?
First-thus omnibus collection of previously published work; the value point is the true first printing of this gathering, confirmed by the stated 'First Edition' plus the number line ending in 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club concern noted; the Harper Perennial trade paperback (ISBN 0-06-092660-3) followed and is a reprint, not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Annie Dillard Reader* by Annie Dillard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-annie-dillard-reader
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.