The phrase "and often the first" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that frequently holds the position of being the initial or primary example in a given context.
Example: "In many cultures, the New Year celebration is a significant event, and often the first occasion for family gatherings."
Alternatives: "and frequently the primary" or "and typically the initial".
There was food, even in the Depression, and often the first television set in town.
Pain is a frontline defense mechanism and often the first sign that something is wrong, says Brahnam.
The coal market is of special relevance as coal is available in many countries and often the first choice to meet energy demand.
It's frustrating that the UK is denied the full Neutrogena skincare range – it's consistently fantastic and often the first thing I stock up on when visiting America.
The best marketing for books remains word-of-mouth passion, and often the first mouths to send the word with fervor are the independent bookstores, particularly for literary fiction and literary nonfiction.
For instance, "Canned goods are among the safest of foods to be found in Dumpsters but are not utterly foolproof". That is because botulism can be a problem, "and often the first symptom is death," Mr. Eighner wrote.
Just as digging a well was the most important project--and often the first--undertaken on a piece of land, keeping the always-needed water on hand was an additional challenge.
Castellanos weaves the common tale of a "great but frustrated" man: "The first wife, and often the second, do not grasp his brilliance or grandeur.
And often the fourth firm audits the competition or does material consulting!
Elderly people, pregnant women and children can be especially vulnerable and are often the first to get into difficulty.
A linkage map is an essential framework for mapping traits of interest and is often the first step towards understanding genome evolution and aids genome assembly [ 1- 4].
