# Is "What Are People For?" by Wendell Berry a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of What Are People For? by Wendell Berry (North Point Press, 1990) is identified by: North Point Press first printing, 1990, in cloth-backed boards stamped in gold on the spine; title/copyright page dated 1990 with no later-printing statement. True first edition of this collection of twenty-two essays.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- North Point Press first printing, 1990, in cloth-backed boards stamped in gold on the spine; title/copyright page dated 1990 with no later-printing statement
- North Point did not use a number line
- Full title carries the subtitle 'Essays'
- Publisher imprint reads North Point Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wendell Berry |
| Publisher | North Point Press |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | North Point Press first printing, 1990, in cloth-backed boards stamped in gold on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
North Point Press first printing, 1990, in cloth-backed boards stamped in gold on the spine; title/copyright page dated 1990 with no later-printing statement. North Point did not use a number line. Full title carries the subtitle 'Essays'.

## Is this the true first?
True first edition of this collection of twenty-two essays.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of concern. The clothbound North Point issue is the collected first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *What Are People For?* by Wendell Berry a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/what-are-people-for
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.