# Is "The Ninemile Wolves" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ninemile Wolves by Rick Bass (Clark City Press, 1992) is identified by: Clark City Press (Livingston, Montana) first edition, 1992, illustrated by Russell Chatham; the trade issue is a hardcover in dust jacket. True first US edition; the Clark City Press first precedes the later Ballantine trade paperback.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Clark City Press (Livingston, Montana) first edition, 1992, illustrated by Russell Chatham; the trade issue is a hardcover in dust jacket
- ISBN 0944439489
- Subtitled An Essay
- The signed limited issue is bound with a maroon cloth spine over brown boards, gilt-stamped on cover and spine, and housed in a matching maroon slipcase
- Publisher imprint reads Clark City Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | Clark City Press |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Clark City Press (Livingston, Montana) first edition, 1992, illustrated by Russell… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Clark City Press (Livingston, Montana) first edition, 1992, illustrated by Russell Chatham; the trade issue is a hardcover in dust jacket. ISBN 0944439489. Subtitled An Essay. The signed limited issue is bound with a maroon cloth spine over brown boards, gilt-stamped on cover and spine, and housed in a matching maroon slipcase.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition; the Clark City Press first precedes the later Ballantine trade paperback.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Two first-edition states exist: the standard trade hardcover in dust jacket, and a signed limited edition numbered of 125 copies issued in a slipcase (without jacket). Do not confuse either with the later Ballantine paperback reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ninemile Wolves* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ninemile-wolves
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.