Stegner, Wallace - The Sound of Mountain Water - Doubleday: New York, 1969 - First Edition / First Printing / First State - “First Edition” stated on the copyright page as required in order to denote the first printing of the first edition. First state with the integral title page that has no magazine credits on the copyright page.
“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed ... We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in.”
The book has trace areas of rubbing around the spine and a bookplate on the front fly page but is otherwise a superb example. The boards are straight, the gilt on the spine is bright, binding is square and firm, and other than the book plate this copy is free of all markings and writings internally. The price clipped dust jacket has edge wear, shallow chips to the spine ends, soiling, and a split starting at the rear gutter. All that being said this is a more presentable copy than it must sound like. This is the correct and scarce first issue of the book. Per Colberg A20.1.: "All copies of the first printing were recalled because credit lines were left out,”. This copy was one of the few which apparently escaped the recall and still has the original integral copyright page without the credits. A cornerstone non fiction title of the American West.