# Is "Forlorn River" by Zane Grey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Forlorn River by Zane Grey (Harper & Brothers, 1927) is identified by: First printing carries the Harper code H-B on the copyright-page verso (H = August, B = 1927) together with the 'First Edition' statement. True first is the Harper & Brothers US edition, identified by the H-B code and the 'First Edition' statement.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the Harper code H-B on the copyright-page verso (H = August, B = 1927) together with the 'First Edition' statement
- Bound in brown cloth stamped in black, with a title vignette and black-and-white decorations by Robert Amick, in a color pictorial dust jacket
- The true first is the Harper US edition
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zane Grey |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1927 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Harper code H-B on the copyright-page verso (H = August, B = 1927) together with the 'First Edition' statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the Harper code H-B on the copyright-page verso (H = August, B = 1927) together with the 'First Edition' statement. Bound in brown cloth stamped in black, with a title vignette and black-and-white decorations by Robert Amick, in a color pictorial dust jacket. The true first is the Harper US edition.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Harper & Brothers US edition, identified by the H-B code and the 'First Edition' statement.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap reprinted from the Harper plates and may carry over the 'First Edition' line; confirm the true first by the H-B code and the Harper & Brothers imprint rather than by the 'First Edition' wording alone.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Forlorn River* by Zane Grey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/forlorn-river
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.