E. O. Wilson First Editions

• The Theory of Island Biogeography — 1967 · Princeton University PressPrinceton University Press first printing, 1967, issued as Monographs in Population Biology No. 1 (the inaugural volume of that series), co-authored with Robert H. MacArthur. Bound in publisher's cloth and issued in a priced dust jacket; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed price on the flap. Collation runs to roughly 203 pages of text with figures and tables. The work was reprinted and later reissued…. US true first (Princeton University Press, 1967). On the title page MacArthur is the first-listed author ("Robert H. MacArthur and Edward O. Wilson"); the work is jointly authored, and standard references cite it as MacArthur and Wilson 1967. No book club edition. Beware later Princeton Landmarks in Biology reissues, which carry updated cover art and a different ISBN rather than the 1967 first-printing sheets.
• A Primer of Population Biology — 1971 · Sinauer AssociatesSinauer Associates, Stamford, Connecticut, first published 1971; paperback original of about 192 pages, co-authored with William H. Bossert; ISBN 0-87893-926-1 (9780878939268). A self-teaching textbook that remained in print essentially unchanged for decades through many later printings. US true first (Sinauer Associates, 1971), co-authored with William H. Bossert. No book club edition. Reprinted many times as a course text under the same title and ISBN; the plates were unchanged across printings, so the earliest is identified by the 1971 copyright and the absence of any later printing statement or added printing number on the copyright page. Not typically collected as a first edition.
• The Insect Societies — 1971 · Belknap Press / Harvard University PressThe Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, first printing 1971, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Bound in cloth over boards (recorded as mustard-yellow/tan cloth with brown lettering to the spine) in a sepia pictorial dust jacket with white lettering to the front panel, which should retain its printed price. A large quarto of roughly 548 pages with more than…. US true first (Belknap Press / Harvard University Press, 1971); Wilson's first major synthesis of the social insects. No book-club edition; a first is confirmed by the 1971 Belknap Press imprint with a clean copyright page and the sepia pictorial priced jacket.
• Genes, Mind, and Culture: The Coevolutionary Process — 1981 · Harvard University PressHarvard University Press first printing, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1981, co-authored with Charles J. Lumsden; collation xiv, 428 pages, illustrated. Issued in cloth in a priced dust jacket; the printed jacket price should be present. First-printing copies carry the Harvard University Press imprint on the title page with no later-printing or reprint statement on the copyright page. US true first (Harvard University Press, 1981), co-authored with Charles J. Lumsden. A 25th Anniversary edition was issued later and is clearly distinguished by its anniversary imprint. No book club edition.
• Promethean Fire: Reflections on the Origin of Mind — 1983 · Harvard University PressHarvard University Press first printing, 1983; cloth in priced dust jacket; co-authored with Charles J. Lumsden; first printing shows matching title-page and copyright dates with no prior-printing statement. Illustrated by Whitney Powell. US true first (Harvard University Press, 1983), co-authored with Charles J. Lumsden. Subtitle also appears as Reflections on the Origin of the Mind. No book club edition.
• Biophilia — 1984 · Harvard University PressHarvard University Press first printing, 1984; quarter blue and off-white cloth, gilt-lettered front board and spine; pictorial dust jacket with printed price; no statement of a later printing. Roughly 176 pages. US true first, Harvard University Press. No book club edition.
• Success and Dominance in Ecosystems: The Case of the Social Insects — 1990 · Ecology InstituteEcology Institute (Oldendorf/Luhe, Germany) first printing, 1990; Excellence in Ecology series, volume 2, edited by O. Kinne; introduction by Otto Kinne; roughly xxi plus 104 pages with figures. Scarce minor monograph. True first, Ecology Institute. Scarce minor title in a small print run. No book club edition.
• The Biophilia Hypothesis — 1993 · Island Press / Shearwater BooksIsland Press / Shearwater Books first printing, 1993; edited by Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson, with Kellert as the first-listed editor; pictorial dust jacket with printed price. Multi-contributor edited volume, roughly 484 pages. US true first, Island Press / Shearwater Books. An edited anthology; on the title page Kellert is named first as editor and Wilson second, so the record should not present Wilson as sole or primary author. No book club edition.
• Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration — 1994 · Belknap Press / Harvard University PressBelknap Press / Harvard University Press first printing, 1994; by Bert Hoelldobler and Edward O. Wilson; green cloth stamped in black with silver-lettered spine; pictorial dust jacket with printed price; illustrated in color and black and white. Roughly 228 pages. US true first, Belknap Press / Harvard University Press. Co-authored with Bert Hoelldobler. No book club edition.
• Naturalist — 1994 · Island Press / Shearwater BooksIsland Press / Shearwater Books (Washington, D.C.), first edition, first printing, 1994 (ISBN 1-55963-288-7). Wilson's autobiography, bound in half cloth over boards, with a pictorial dust jacket designed by David Bullen; the jacket should carry its printed price on the front flap. US true first, Island Press / Shearwater Books, first printing 1994. No prominent book-club edition; the first printing is identified by the Island Press / Shearwater imprint, the half-cloth binding, and the David Bullen jacket.
• In Search of Nature — 1996 · Island Press / Shearwater BooksIsland Press / Shearwater Books (Washington, D.C.) first printing, 1996; illustrated by Laura Southworth; A Shearwater Book stated on the title page; pictorial dust jacket with printed price. Essay collection, roughly 214 pages. US true first, Island Press / Shearwater Books; first collected edition of these essays. No book club edition.
• Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge — 1998 · Alfred A. KnopfFirst edition, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1998. The copyright page carries the words 'First Edition' together with the running-borzoi (Borzoi) colophon, and the printer's key descends to the terminal 1. The trade first is bound in quarter black cloth over blue-green paper-covered boards, with silver lettering to the spine. The dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (present, not clipped, on…. US true first (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1998); this is the first appearance of the work in book form. No prominent book-club edition competes for identification; confirm the Knopf trade first by the stated 'First Edition', the Borzoi colophon, the number line descending to 1, and the quarter-black-cloth binding over blue-green boards.
• The Future of Life — 2002 · Alfred A. KnopfAlfred A. Knopf states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi colophon, with a number line descending to 1. The binding is quarter green paper over white paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine; the pictorial dust jacket carries the painting by Isabella Kirkland and bears its printed price on the front flap. First-issue text runs to roughly 229 pages. US true first (Knopf, New York, 2002). No prominent book-club edition; confirm the Knopf first by the stated 'First Edition' together with the number line ending in 1 and the quarter-green binding.
• Pheidole in the New World: A Dominant, Hyperdiverse Ant Genus — 2003 · Harvard University PressHarvard University Press first printing, 2003, issued as a large taxonomic monograph accompanied by a CD-ROM of type-specimen images. As a scholarly monograph it carries a copyright-page first-printing statement rather than a trade-style 'First Edition' line or number sequence; presence of the original CD-ROM helps confirm a complete first-printing copy. US true first (Harvard University Press, 2003). Specialist taxonomic title. No BCE; no trade number line to rely on. Identify by the Harvard UP first-printing statement and included CD-ROM.
• From So Simple a Beginning: The Four Great Books of Charles Darwin — 2006 · W. W. NortonNorton first printing with the number line ending in 1. Wilson edited the volume and supplied the introductions, afterword and index; issued as a thick single volume, often in a publisher slipcase. First-thus for the Wilson-edited compilation of Darwin's four works. US true first (W. W. Norton); first-thus, as Wilson edited and introduced this Darwin omnibus (some sources date the release late 2005 / 2006). No BCE; identify by the Norton copyright-page statement and number line ending in 1.
• The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth — 2006 · W. W. NortonW. W. Norton, 2006. The copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line descending to 1; a copy showing a 2 as the lowest digit is a second printing. Bound in quarter orange paper over tan paper boards with blue lettering on the front board and spine, with greenish-gray textured endpapers. The cream dust jacket carries the title and author lettered across the top and bottom of the front panel and a…. US true first (W. W. Norton, 2006), confirmed by the stated 'First Edition' and the number line descending to 1. No prominent book-club edition. Confirm the Norton first by the stated 'First Edition' and the full number line; a lowest digit of 2 marks a second printing.
• The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies — 2009 · W. W. NortonW. W. Norton first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full descending number line ending in 1. Co-authored with Bert Hölldobler (whose name leads on the title page), with line drawings by Margaret C. Nelson; a large quarto of roughly xxi plus 522 pages, illustrated with about 110 color and 100 black-and-white plates and figures. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket with the printed price…. US true first is the W. W. Norton edition of 2009 (ISBN 978-0-393-06704-0), co-authored with Bert Hölldobler; confirm by the stated 'First Edition' and the full number line ending in 1. No prominent book-club edition; confirm the Norton first by the stated 'First Edition' and the complete number line to 1, as later printings drop the 1 from the line.
• Anthill: A Novel — 2010 · W. W. NortonW. W. Norton first edition, New York, 2010, first printing indicated on the copyright page by a full descending number line ending in 1, issued in publisher's boards (red and green) with a printed, priced dust jacket. This was Wilson's first novel and his only extended work of fiction. US true first (W. W. Norton, New York, 2010). No prominent book-club edition; the later Norton trade-paperback reprint follows the hardcover first.
• Kingdom of Ants: José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History in the New World — 2010 · Johns Hopkins University PressJohns Hopkins University Press first printing, hardcover, co-authored with José M. Gómez Durán; a slim illustrated title of roughly 120 pages. As a university-press book it carries no printer's number line in the trade sense; the first printing is identified by the Johns Hopkins University Press imprint dated 2010 with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The dust jacket reproduces a colored…. US true first (Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2010). No separately preceding edition; the work originated in English from this press. No book-club edition. A Kindle e-book followed the print first printing but does not affect priority of the hardcover.
• The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct — 2011 · W. W. NortonW. W. Norton first printing, 2011, co-authored with Bert Hoelldobler (ISBN 978-0-393-33868-3), collating to roughly xiii + 160 pages with illustrations and index. This Norton title, drawn from the authors' larger work The Superorganism, was issued primarily in paperback wrappers rather than a trade cloth binding, so a first paperback with the number line ending in 1 and no later-printing statement is the…. US true first (W. W. Norton, New York, 2011). No book-club edition.
• The Social Conquest of Earth — 2012 · Liveright / W. W. NortonFirst edition, first printing, Liveright (a division of W. W. Norton), New York, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-87140-413-8), octavo of approximately 330 pages, in a priced dust jacket. Following modern Norton/Liveright practice, the first printing states First Edition on the copyright page with a number line that includes the numeral 1; the first-issue jacket retains its printed price on the flap (present, not clipped, on an…. US true first (Liveright / W. W. Norton, New York, 2012). No prominent book-club edition; the first-printing Liveright octavo hardcover with the First Edition statement, a number line including 1, and unclipped priced jacket is the true first.
• Letters to a Young Scientist — 2013 · Liveright / W. W. NortonFirst edition, first printing, Liveright (a division of W. W. Norton), New York, 2013 (ISBN 978-0-87140-377-3), in a priced dust jacket. Following modern Norton/Liveright practice, the first printing states First Edition on the copyright page accompanied by a number line that includes the numeral 1; the jacket should retain its printed price on the flap (present, not clipped, on an unclipped copy). Approximately…. US true first (Liveright / W. W. Norton, New York, 2013). No prominent book-club edition; the first-printing Liveright hardcover with the First Edition statement, a number line including 1, and unclipped priced jacket is the true first.
• A Window on Eternity: A Biologist's Walk Through Gorongosa National Park — 2014 · Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster first printing, published April 22, 2014, roughly 176 pages, with photography by Piotr Naskrecki and a bonus DVD of Academy Award-winning director Jessica Yu's documentary The Guide laid in at the rear (hardcover-with-DVD ISBN 9781476747415), in a priced dust jacket. US true first (Simon & Schuster, New York), April 22, 2014. No prominent book-club edition.
• The Meaning of Human Existence — 2014 · Liveright / W. W. NortonLiveright (W. W. Norton) first printing, identified by a complete Norton number line with 1 present; issued in quarter black cloth over boards with a priced dust jacket. Verified first-edition ISBN 978-0-87140-100-7. US Liveright/Norton edition is the true first (published October 2014). No prominent book club edition; Liveright/Norton literary nonfiction of this period was not book-club distributed.
• Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life — 2016 · Liveright / W. W. NortonLiveright (W. W. Norton) first printing, identified by a complete Norton number line with 1 present; issued in hardcover with a priced dust jacket. Verified first-edition hardcover ISBN 978-1-63149-082-8. US Liveright/Norton edition is the true first (published March 2016); final volume of the trilogy after The Social Conquest of Earth and The Meaning of Human Existence. No prominent book club edition.
• The Origins of Creativity — 2017 · Liveright / W. W. NortonLiveright (a division of W. W. Norton) first printing, published October 3, 2017, ISBN 978-1-63149-318-8, 256 pages. The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page followed by a full Norton count-up number line beginning with 1 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10). Issued in boards under a priced dust jacket designed by Pete Garceau; a first-issue jacket retains the original printed price and is unclipped. The US Liveright/Norton edition is the true first (published October 3, 2017). No prominent book club edition; the first printing is identified by the First Edition statement and the complete count-up number line beginning with 1.
• Genesis: The Deep Origin of Societies — 2019 · Liveright / W. W. NortonLiveright (W. W. Norton, New York) first printing, identified by the complete Norton number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; issued in hardcover with a dust jacket bearing its printed first-issue price. First-edition ISBN 978-1-63149-554-0. The US Liveright/Norton edition is the true first (published March 2019). A separate UK Allen Lane/Penguin edition (titled Genesis: On the Deep Origin of Societies) also exists. A later Liveright paperback carries a distinct ISBN 978-1-63149-667-7. No prominent book club edition; the reprint paperback (ISBN 978-1-63149-667-7) follows the hardcover first.
• Tales from the Ant World — 2020 · Liveright / W. W. NortonLiveright (a division of W. W. Norton) first printing, published August 25, 2020, ISBN 978-1-63149-556-4. The first printing states First Edition on the copyright page followed by a full Norton count-up number line beginning with 1 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10). Issued in hardcover under a priced dust jacket; a first-issue jacket retains the original printed price and is unclipped. The US Liveright/Norton edition is the true first (published August 25, 2020). No prominent book club edition; the first printing is identified by the First Edition statement and the complete count-up number line beginning with 1.

More Nonfiction & Memoir shelves: Edward O. Wilson, Erik Larson, Frederick Douglass, Frederick Law Olmsted, Galileo Galilei, Gordon S. Wood.

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