# Is "The Sound of Mountain Water" by Wallace Stegner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sound of Mountain Water by Wallace Stegner (Doubleday, 1969) is identified by: Doubleday first edition carries the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the 1969 date. True first US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday first edition carries the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the 1969 date
- A recognized point of issue distinguishes states: the earliest copies lack the periodical credit lines on the copyright page (credits were omitted); a later state has a tipped-in copyright leaf that supplies the missing credits
- Quarter dark green cloth over light green boards, gilt spine and front-board lettering, yellow endpapers, in the pictorial dust jacket
- Essay collection
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stegner |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday first edition carries the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday first edition carries the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and the 1969 date. A recognized point of issue distinguishes states: the earliest copies lack the periodical credit lines on the copyright page (credits were omitted); a later state has a tipped-in copyright leaf that supplies the missing credits. Quarter dark green cloth over light green boards, gilt spine and front-board lettering, yellow endpapers, in the pictorial dust jacket. Essay collection.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club title; confirm the 'First Edition' statement and check whether the copyright leaf is integral (earliest state, no credits) or tipped in (later state with credits).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sound of Mountain Water* by Wallace Stegner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sound-of-mountain-water
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.