# Is "The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel" by Edward Abbey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel by Edward Abbey (Henry Holt and Company, 1988) is identified by: First printing carries the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the Henry Holt imprint. US Henry Holt 1988 trade first edition, first printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the Henry Holt imprint
- Dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap
- Later trade printings show a shortened number line
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward Abbey |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the Henry Holt imprint |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, with the Henry Holt imprint. Dust jacket carries the printed price on the front flap. Later trade printings show a shortened number line.

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt 1988 trade first edition, first printing. Abbey's late autobiographical novel, published shortly before his 1989 death.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note. The trade first is identified by the complete number line ending in 1; reprints carry an incomplete line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel* by Edward Abbey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fools-progress-an-honest-novel
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.