# Is "The Best of Edward Abbey" by Edward Abbey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Best of Edward Abbey by Edward Abbey (Sierra Club Books, 1988) is identified by: First Sierra Club Books printing, San Francisco, 1988, per their copyright-page convention. Not a true first for the bulk of the contents: it is the 1988 Sierra Club reworking of the 1984 Dutton reader Slumgullion Stew, most of whose selections were first collected in 1984.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Sierra Club Books printing, San Francisco, 1988, per their copyright-page convention
- It reworks the 1984 Dutton reader Slumgullion Stew rather than presenting a first appearance of most of the contents; the Sierra Club edition adds later selections not in the 1984 volume (including material from Hayduke Lives!, journal excerpts, an account of a trip to the Sea of Cortez, and poetry) and carries 11 line drawings
- Publisher imprint reads Sierra Club Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward Abbey |
| Publisher | Sierra Club Books |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Sierra Club Books printing, San Francisco, 1988, per their copyright-page convention |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First Sierra Club Books printing, San Francisco, 1988, per their copyright-page convention. It reworks the 1984 Dutton reader Slumgullion Stew rather than presenting a first appearance of most of the contents; the Sierra Club edition adds later selections not in the 1984 volume (including material from Hayduke Lives!, journal excerpts, an account of a trip to the Sea of Cortez, and poetry) and carries 11 line drawings.

## Is this the true first?
Not a true first for the bulk of the contents: it is the 1988 Sierra Club reworking of the 1984 Dutton reader Slumgullion Stew, most of whose selections were first collected in 1984. Collectors seeking the first collected appearance of that core material want the 1984 Dutton Slumgullion Stew; note, however, that a portion of the Sierra Club selections is new to this 1988 volume.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition concern.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Best of Edward Abbey* by Edward Abbey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-best-of-edward-abbey
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.