The points of issue
First edition in half blue cloth over pictorial paper-covered boards decorated with sea shells, 127 pages. Pantheon used no First Edition designation at this date, so the true first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings are explicitly marked (for example Fifth Printing with a date). First-issue dust jacket carries the original price on the front flap.
Is this the true first?
US Pantheon Books (New York), May 1955, is the true first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A heavily printed bestseller. The first printing must lack any printing statement; the presence of any numbered or dated printing notice indicates a later impression. Book-club issues lack the jacket price.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of A Naturalist on Lake Maracaibo — n/a; instead: The Outermost companion: Gift from the Sea a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition in half blue cloth over pictorial paper-covered boards decorated with sea shells, 127 pages. Pantheon used no First Edition designation at this date, so the true first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings are explicitly marked (for example Fifth Printing with a date). First-issue dust jacket carries the original price on the front flap.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Pantheon Books (New York), May 1955, is the true first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
A heavily printed bestseller. The first printing must lack any printing statement; the presence of any numbered or dated printing notice indicates a later impression. Book-club issues lack the jacket price.
I have a first edition of A Naturalist on Lake Maracaibo — n/a; instead: The Outermost companion: Gift from the Sea — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.