# Is "Wild Horse Mesa" by Zane Grey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wild Horse Mesa by Zane Grey (Harper & Brothers, 1928) is identified by: First printing carries the Harper code G-C on the copyright-page verso (G = July, C = 1928) together with the First Edition statement. True first is the Harper US edition, identified by the G-C code and Harper imprint.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the Harper code G-C on the copyright-page verso (G = July, C = 1928) together with the First Edition statement
- Original dark blue cloth stamped in gilt, with orange top-stain and pictorial endpapers illustrated by George W. Gage; frontispiece present
- The pictorial dust jacket reproduces Stockton Mulford's painting, with the line "Romance and Adventure on a Mysterious Desert Range" set below the horse image; the printed price should be present on the unclipped jacket flap
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zane Grey |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1928 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Harper code G-C on the copyright-page verso (G = July, C = 1928) together with the First Edition statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the Harper code G-C on the copyright-page verso (G = July, C = 1928) together with the First Edition statement. Original dark blue cloth stamped in gilt, with orange top-stain and pictorial endpapers illustrated by George W. Gage; frontispiece present. The pictorial dust jacket reproduces Stockton Mulford's painting, with the line "Romance and Adventure on a Mysterious Desert Range" set below the horse image; the printed price should be present on the unclipped jacket flap.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Harper US edition, identified by the G-C code and Harper imprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap reprinted from Harper plates and may show the First Edition line; confirm the true first by the G-C code and Harper imprint. Reprints lack the orange top-stain and the G-C dating code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wild Horse Mesa* by Zane Grey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wild-horse-mesa
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.