# Is "Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier" by Wallace Stegner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier by Wallace Stegner (The Viking Press, 1962) is identified by: Copyright page reads 'Published in 1962 by The Viking Press' with no later printings listed. US Viking 1962 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page reads 'Published in 1962 by The Viking Press' with no later printings listed
- Bound in brown cloth with the spine title stamped in gilt on a stamped panel, with illustrated map endpapers, in a printed dust jacket that should retain its flap price
- US Viking 1962 is the true first
- Stegner's classic blend of history, memoir and fiction set in the Saskatchewan and Montana borderlands
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wallace Stegner |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page reads 'Published in 1962 by The Viking Press' with no later printings listed |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Copyright page reads 'Published in 1962 by The Viking Press' with no later printings listed. Bound in brown cloth with the spine title stamped in gilt on a stamped panel, with illustrated map endpapers, in a printed dust jacket that should retain its flap price. US Viking 1962 is the true first. Stegner's classic blend of history, memoir and fiction set in the Saskatchewan and Montana borderlands.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1962 is the true first. Stegner's autobiographical recollection of his boyhood homesteading in southern Saskatchewan, blending history, memoir and fiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguished from reprints by the single 1962 publication date with no added printing statements. Later Viking and University of Nebraska Press reprints are clearly marked.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wolf Willow: A History, a Story, and a Memory of the Last Plains Frontier* by Wallace Stegner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wolf-willow-a-history-a-story-and-a-memory-of-the-last-plain
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.