# Is "The Thundering Herd" by Zane Grey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Thundering Herd by Zane Grey (Harper & Brothers, 1925) is identified by: First printing carries the Harper two-letter code L-Y on the copyright-page verso (first letter = printing month, so L = November; second letter = year, Y = 1924, printed ahead of 1925 publication). True first is the Harper US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the Harper two-letter code L-Y on the copyright-page verso (first letter = printing month, so L = November; second letter = year, Y = 1924, printed ahead of 1925 publication)
- Copyright page also states First Edition
- Frontispiece and three plates by E. F. Ward; issued in a pictorial dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zane Grey |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1925 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Harper two-letter code L-Y on the copyright-page verso (first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the Harper two-letter code L-Y on the copyright-page verso (first letter = printing month, so L = November; second letter = year, Y = 1924, printed ahead of 1925 publication). Copyright page also states First Edition. Frontispiece and three plates by E. F. Ward; issued in a pictorial dust jacket.

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

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap reprinted from Harper plates and can even carry the First Edition line; identify the true first by the L-Y code and the Harper imprint, not by the First Edition statement alone.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Thundering Herd* by Zane Grey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-thundering-herd
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.