# Is "The Open Space of Democracy" by Terry Tempest Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Open Space of Democracy by Terry Tempest Williams (Orion Society, 2004) is identified by: Orion Society first printing, issued as a slim softcover in wrappers; Great Barrington, Massachusetts; dated 2004, ISBN 0-913098-63-9. True first is the Orion Society softcover of 2004.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Orion Society first printing, issued as a slim softcover in wrappers
- Great Barrington, Massachusetts; dated 2004, ISBN 0-913098-63-9
- Illustrated with work by Mary Frank
- Being a wrappered original, identification rests on the Orion Society imprint and the 2004 date rather than on a dust jacket or number line
- Publisher imprint reads Orion Society
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Terry Tempest Williams |
| Publisher | Orion Society |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Orion Society first printing, issued as a slim softcover in wrappers |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Orion Society first printing, issued as a slim softcover in wrappers; Great Barrington, Massachusetts; dated 2004, ISBN 0-913098-63-9. Illustrated with work by Mary Frank. Being a wrappered original, identification rests on the Orion Society imprint and the 2004 date rather than on a dust jacket or number line.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Orion Society softcover of 2004. The later Wipf and Stock edition (ISBN 978-1-60899-208-9) is a reissue and states that the work was previously published by the Orion Society in 2004, so it is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club concern; issued in wrappers.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Open Space of Democracy* by Terry Tempest Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-open-space-of-democracy
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.