# Is "Platte River" by Rick Bass a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Platte River by Rick Bass (Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence, 1994) is identified by: First edition, first printing (Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence, Boston, 1994), identified by the descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. True first US edition; a collection of three novellas and the author's second book of stories.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing (Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence, Boston, 1994), identified by the descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Issued in a pictorial dust jacket carrying a photograph of the author to the rear panel, with the printed price present to the flap on an unclipped copy
- A collection of three novellas (Mahatma Joe
- Field Events
- Platte River)
- ISBN 0395680808
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Bass |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing (Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence, Boston, 1994), identified by the descending number line ending in 1 on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing (Houghton Mifflin / Seymour Lawrence, Boston, 1994), identified by the descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket carrying a photograph of the author to the rear panel, with the printed price present to the flap on an unclipped copy. A collection of three novellas (Mahatma Joe; Field Events; Platte River); ISBN 0395680808. An uncorrected proof precedes the trade edition.

## Is this the true first?
True first US edition; a collection of three novellas and the author's second book of stories.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club edition concern; confirm the first by the number line ending in 1 and the author-photo rear jacket panel. Later Houghton Mifflin printings carry a number line no longer terminating in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Platte River* by Rick Bass a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/platte-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.