# Is "The Book of Yaak" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Book of Yaak by Rick Bass (Houghton Mifflin, 1996) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin (Boston) first printing, 1996; ISBN 0395770149. True first US edition; essay collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin (Boston) first printing, 1996
- ISBN 0395770149
- Collection of essays on Montana's Yaak Valley, 190 pages
- Bound in quarter deep wine cloth over wine paper-covered boards with gilt titling to the spine and front panel
- The pictorial dust jacket carries cover art by Russell Chatham; a first-state jacket retains the original printed price on the front flap (unclipped) and is not price-clipped
- First-edition, first-printing copies should show the complete number line with the 1 present and the standard Houghton Mifflin edition statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin (Boston) first printing, 1996 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin (Boston) first printing, 1996; ISBN 0395770149. Collection of essays on Montana's Yaak Valley, 190 pages. Bound in quarter deep wine cloth over wine paper-covered boards with gilt titling to the spine and front panel. The pictorial dust jacket carries cover art by Russell Chatham; a first-state jacket retains the original printed price on the front flap (unclipped) and is not price-clipped. First-edition, first-printing copies should show the complete number line with the 1 present and the standard Houghton Mifflin edition statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition; essay collection. No prior or precedent edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club edition concern for this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Book of Yaak* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-book-of-yaak
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.