# Is "The Meadow" by James Galvin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Meadow by James Galvin (Henry Holt and Company, 1992) is identified by: First printing carries the Henry Holt imprint with the number line on the copyright page descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket retains the printed price on the front flap. The US Henry Holt 1992 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the Henry Holt imprint with the number line on the copyright page descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket retains the printed price on the front flap
- Octavo bound in taupe cloth with burgundy paper boards, gilt spine lettering
- A lyrical chronicle of a meadow on the Wyoming-Colorado line
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Galvin |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Henry Holt imprint with the number line on the copyright page descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket retains… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the Henry Holt imprint with the number line on the copyright page descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket retains the printed price on the front flap. Octavo bound in taupe cloth with burgundy paper boards, gilt spine lettering. A lyrical chronicle of a meadow on the Wyoming-Colorado line.

## Is this the true first?
The US Henry Holt 1992 edition is the true first. The Meadow is Galvin's prose work of place, not a novel (he is primarily a poet); some listings mislabel it as a first novel, which is incorrect.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguished from later printings by the intact number line descending to 1 and the priced first-issue jacket. Reprint and book-club copies lack these points.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Meadow* by James Galvin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-meadow
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.