# Is "The Desert of Wheat" by Zane Grey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Desert of Wheat by Zane Grey (Harper & Brothers, 1919) is identified by: Harper & Brothers first printing carries the code A-T on the copyright page (in Harper's system the first letter is the month, A = January, and the second letter is the year of printing, T = 1919), with 'Published January, 1919'. True first edition, first printing; the world first (US and UK precedence not an issue, Harper originated the text).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harper & Brothers first printing carries the code A-T on the copyright page (in Harper's system the first letter is the month, A = January, and the second letter is the year of printing, T = 1919), with 'Published January, 1919'
- Additional first-printing text point: the 'i' is dropped from 'girl' (reading 'g rl') on page 10
- Frontispiece by W. H. D. Koerner; issued in a dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zane Grey |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1919 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harper & Brothers first printing carries the code A-T on the copyright page (in Harper's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Harper & Brothers first printing carries the code A-T on the copyright page (in Harper's system the first letter is the month, A = January, and the second letter is the year of printing, T = 1919), with 'Published January, 1919'. Additional first-printing text point: the 'i' is dropped from 'girl' (reading 'g rl') on page 10. Frontispiece by W. H. D. Koerner; issued in a dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True first edition, first printing; the world first (US and UK precedence not an issue, Harper originated the text).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap photographic reprints are common and lack the Harper copyright code; the true first must show the A-T code and the page-10 'g rl' error.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Desert of Wheat* by Zane Grey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-desert-of-wheat
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.