# Is "To the White Sea" by James Dickey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of To the White Sea by James Dickey (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993) is identified by: First edition, first printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (ISBN 0-395-47565-1); an octavo of 275 pages. The US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first; a UK edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (ISBN 0-395-47565-1); an octavo of 275 pages
- The spine is lettered in gold and red
- First-issue jacket is unclipped with the price printed on the front flap
- Dickey's third novel
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Dickey |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Company |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (ISBN 0-395-47565-1); an octavo of 275 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (ISBN 0-395-47565-1); an octavo of 275 pages. The spine is lettered in gold and red. First-issue jacket is unclipped with the price printed on the front flap. Dickey's third novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Houghton Mifflin edition is the true first; a UK edition follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line; the trade first was a substantial printing, so book-club copies are less common but when present lack the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *To the White Sea* by James Dickey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/to-the-white-sea
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.