# Is "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974) is identified by: Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page; Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint; black cloth boards with gilt spine; 445 pages, illustrated by Rini Templeton; dust jacket bearing the original printed price (first-issue art, pre-1988 film). US Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1974) is the true first—the opening volume of Nichols's New Mexico trilogy (with The Magic Journey and The Nirvana Blues).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page
- Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint; black cloth boards with gilt spine
- 445 pages, illustrated by Rini Templeton; dust jacket bearing the original printed price (first-issue art, pre-1988 film)
- First volume of the New Mexico Trilogy
- Publisher imprint reads Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Nichols |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page; Holt, Rinehart and Winston imprint; black cloth boards with gilt spine; 445 pages, illustrated by Rini Templeton; dust jacket bearing the original printed price (first-issue art, pre-1988 film). First volume of the New Mexico Trilogy.

## Is this the true first?
US Holt, Rinehart and Winston (1974) is the true first—the opening volume of Nichols's New Mexico trilogy (with The Magic Journey and The Nirvana Blues). Signed copies are sought; the 1988 Redford film drove later printings/tie-ins.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Ballantine/Owl paperback reprints and film tie-ins (1988) are the common confusion; they lack the 'First Edition' statement and the Holt imprint. No prominent book-club hardcover precedes or rivals the Holt first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Milagro Beanfield War* by John Nichols a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-milagro-beanfield-war
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.