# Is "Desert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape" by Terry Tempest Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Desert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape by Terry Tempest Williams (Pantheon, 1995) is identified by: Pantheon Books, New York, first printing with the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; dated 1995 (ISBN 0679439998), published 26 September 1995. True first US edition, with drawings and paintings by Mary Frank.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Pantheon Books, New York, first printing with the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; dated 1995 (ISBN 0679439998), published 26 September 1995
- A small square sextodecimo volume, quarter-bound in tan linen over natural brown paper-covered boards, with a bronze title stamp to the spine and a bronze vignette stamped to the front board
- Illuminated throughout with drawings and paintings by Mary Frank; issued in a pictorial dust jacket retaining its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Pantheon
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Terry Tempest Williams |
| Publisher | Pantheon |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Pantheon Books, New York, first printing with the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; dated 1995 (ISBN 0679439998)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Pantheon Books, New York, first printing with the number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; dated 1995 (ISBN 0679439998), published 26 September 1995. A small square sextodecimo volume, quarter-bound in tan linen over natural brown paper-covered boards, with a bronze title stamp to the spine and a bronze vignette stamped to the front board. Illuminated throughout with drawings and paintings by Mary Frank; issued in a pictorial dust jacket retaining its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition, with drawings and paintings by Mary Frank.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition concern; later printings show a number line no longer reaching 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Desert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape* by Terry Tempest Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/desert-quartet-an-erotic-landscape
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.