# Is "Assembling California" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Assembling California by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993. US true first (FSG), hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993
- First edition, first printing identified by the FSG first-printing statement and complete number line on the copyright page
- Cloth-backed boards, priced dust jacket
- Fourth book of the geology transect (later part of Annals of the Former World)
- ISBN 0374106452
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993. First edition, first printing identified by the FSG first-printing statement and complete number line on the copyright page. Cloth-backed boards, priced dust jacket. Fourth book of the geology transect (later part of Annals of the Former World). ISBN 0374106452.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (FSG), hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No known Book Club Edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Assembling California* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/assembling-california
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.