# Is "The Long-Legged House" by Wendell Berry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Long-Legged House by Wendell Berry (Harcourt, Brace & World, 1969) is identified by: Harcourt, Brace & World first printing, 1969; green cloth boards with silver spine lettering and green endpapers; Berry's first essay collection (Freedman A14b). True first US; Berry's first collection of essays.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harcourt, Brace & World first printing, 1969; green cloth boards with silver spine lettering and green endpapers
- Berry's first essay collection (Freedman A14b)
- The precise first-issue dust-jacket price is not confirmed by reliable sources, so no jacket price is asserted
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace & World
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wendell Berry |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace & World |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harcourt, Brace & World first printing, 1969; green cloth boards with silver spine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Harcourt, Brace & World first printing, 1969; green cloth boards with silver spine lettering and green endpapers; Berry's first essay collection (Freedman A14b). The precise first-issue dust-jacket price is not confirmed by reliable sources, so no jacket price is asserted.

## Is this the true first?
True first US; Berry's first collection of essays.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition concern.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Long-Legged House* by Wendell Berry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-long-legged-house
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.