# Is "The Watch: Stories" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Watch: Stories by Rick Bass (W.W. Norton, 1989) is identified by: Norton (New York), 1989, stated first edition with the Norton full number line and no statement of a later printing; half teal cloth over dark blue boards with silver spine lettering, 190 pages, in dust jacket. True first US edition; Bass's first collection of short fiction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- W.W. Norton (New York), 1989, stated first edition with the Norton full number line and no statement of a later printing; half teal cloth over dark blue boards with silver spine lettering, 190 pages, in dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads W.W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | W.W. Norton |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | W.W. Norton (New York), 1989, stated first edition with the Norton full number line and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
W.W. Norton (New York), 1989, stated first edition with the Norton full number line and no statement of a later printing; half teal cloth over dark blue boards with silver spine lettering, 190 pages, in dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition; Bass's first collection of short fiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club edition concern.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Watch: Stories* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-watch-stories
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.