# Is "The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays Cultural and Agricultural" by Wendell Berry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays Cultural and Agricultural by Wendell Berry (North Point Press, 1981) is identified by: North Point Press, San Francisco, 1981; quarter black cloth with tan cloth-covered boards, in dust jacket. True first US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- North Point Press, San Francisco, 1981; quarter black cloth with tan cloth-covered boards, in dust jacket
- North Point issued the title simultaneously in a cloth hardcover and in wrappers; the cloth hardcover is the collected first
- Identify the first printing by the copyright page showing no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads North Point Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wendell Berry |
| Publisher | North Point Press |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | North Point Press, San Francisco, 1981; quarter black cloth with tan cloth-covered… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
North Point Press, San Francisco, 1981; quarter black cloth with tan cloth-covered boards, in dust jacket. North Point issued the title simultaneously in a cloth hardcover and in wrappers; the cloth hardcover is the collected first. Identify the first printing by the copyright page showing no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition. North Point commonly issued cloth and wrappers simultaneously; the cloth issue is the collected first. Distinguish from later Counterpoint reissues.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition concern. Distinguish the cloth issue from the simultaneous wrappers, and confirm the first by the copyright page carrying no additional-printing notation.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Gift of Good Land: Further Essays Cultural and Agricultural* by Wendell Berry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-gift-of-good-land-further-essays-cultural-and-agricultur
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.