# Is "Basin and Range" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Basin and Range by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1981) is identified by: Cloth-backed boards; first-state dust jacket with price present. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth-backed boards; first-state dust jacket with price present
- Copyright reads 'Copyright 1980, 1981 by John McPhee.' The first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings add a printing/number statement
- First volume of the geology series later collected in Annals of the Former World
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-backed boards; first-state dust jacket with price present |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Cloth-backed boards; first-state dust jacket with price present. Copyright reads 'Copyright 1980, 1981 by John McPhee.' The first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings add a printing/number statement. First volume of the geology series later collected in Annals of the Former World.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Identify the first by the ABSENCE of any later-printing statement on the copyright page — there is no stated 'First printing, 1981.' Later printings add a statement. The 1980/1981 copyright dates reflect prior New Yorker serialization and do not by themselves indicate a reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Basin and Range* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/basin-and-range
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.