# Is "Colter: The True Story of the Best Dog I Ever Had" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Colter: The True Story of the Best Dog I Ever Had by Rick Bass (Houghton Mifflin, 2000) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin first printing, 2000 (ISBN 0-395-92618-1), identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page with no additional printings stated; issued in cloth-backed boards with a priced dust jacket. True first US edition (memoir), Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin first printing, 2000 (ISBN 0-395-92618-1), identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page with no additional printings stated; issued in cloth-backed boards with a priced dust jacket
- Memoir of the author's German shorthaired pointer
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin first printing, 2000 (ISBN 0-395-92618-1), identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page with no… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin first printing, 2000 (ISBN 0-395-92618-1), identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page with no additional printings stated; issued in cloth-backed boards with a priced dust jacket. Memoir of the author's German shorthaired pointer.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition (memoir), Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is a concern for the first printing; the later Mariner/Houghton Mifflin trade paperback (2001, ISBN 0-618-12736-4) is a reprint, not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Colter: The True Story of the Best Dog I Ever Had* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/colter-the-true-story-of-the-best-dog-i-ever-had
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.