# Is "The Writing Life" by Annie Dillard a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (Harper & Row, 1989) is identified by: Harper & Row (New York), 1989, states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the number line, in a slim volume of 111 pages, issued in hardcover with dust jacket. True first US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harper & Row (New York), 1989, states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the number line, in a slim volume of 111 pages, issued in hardcover with dust jacket
- Confirm the first by the stated First Edition together with the number line
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Dillard |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harper & Row (New York), 1989, states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Harper & Row (New York), 1989, states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with the number line, in a slim volume of 111 pages, issued in hardcover with dust jacket. Confirm the first by the stated First Edition together with the number line.

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

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings exist. A first-state dust jacket carried flap copy Dillard objected to (she disliked being described merely as a writer), and Harper reportedly reprinted the jacket in response, so a jacket flap-copy variant exists on early copies; the printed price should be present on a trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Writing Life* by Annie Dillard a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-writing-life
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.