# Is "The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness by Rick Bass (Houghton Mifflin, 1997) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin first printing with full number line and no additional printings stated; dated 1997; issued in cloth with dust jacket. True first US edition of the three-novella collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin first printing with full number line and no additional printings stated; dated 1997; issued in cloth with dust jacket
- Contains three novellas: 'The Myths of Bears,' 'Where the Sea Used to Be,' and the title work 'The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness.'
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin first printing with full number line and no additional printings stated… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin first printing with full number line and no additional printings stated; dated 1997; issued in cloth with dust jacket. Contains three novellas: 'The Myths of Bears,' 'Where the Sea Used to Be,' and the title work 'The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness.'

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition of the three-novella collection.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition concern noted for the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sky-the-stars-the-wilderness
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.