The points of issue
First University of New Mexico Press edition, 1969, with line drawings by Al Momaday. The first printing is in the original cloth binding with a priced first-issue dust jacket and no later-printing statement on the copyright page.
Is this the true first?
The 1969 University of New Mexico Press edition is the recognized first trade edition. Its antecedent text, 'The Journey of Tai-me,' was issued in a limited run of about one hundred copies in 1967 at the University of California, Santa Barbara (not a Santa Fe printing); The Way to Rainy Mountain reworked and expanded that material with added commentary, prologue, epilogue, poems, and Al Momaday's drawings.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later UNM Press paperback and reprint editions are distinguished from the 1969 cloth first by added printing statements and the absence of the original priced first-issue jacket.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Way to Rainy Mountain (illustrated first-issue points) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First University of New Mexico Press edition, 1969, with line drawings by Al Momaday. The first printing is in the original cloth binding with a priced first-issue dust jacket and no later-printing statement on the copyright page.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The 1969 University of New Mexico Press edition is the recognized first trade edition. Its antecedent text, 'The Journey of Tai-me,' was issued in a limited run of about one hundred copies in 1967 at the University of California, Santa Barbara (not a Santa Fe printing); The Way to Rainy Mountain rew
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later UNM Press paperback and reprint editions are distinguished from the 1969 cloth first by added printing statements and the absence of the original priced first-issue jacket.
I have a first edition of The Way to Rainy Mountain (illustrated first-issue points) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.