# Is "Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys" by Michael Collins a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys by Michael Collins (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1974) is identified by: The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First printing, 1974' — FSG's period convention, with no descending number line present. The true first is the US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition of 1974 (Collins's original publisher); a UK edition (W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First printing, 1974' — FSG's period convention, with no descending number line present
- Bound in blue cloth with gilt spine lettering and issued in an orange and dark-blue pictorial dust jacket, with a foreword by Charles A. Lindbergh; collation runs [6], xvii, [3], 478, [8] pp
- The retail issue carries a priced jacket (price present at the flap); later FSG impressions change the copyright line to read 'Second printing,' 'Third printing,' and so on
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Collins |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First printing, 1974' — FSG's period convention, with no descending… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First printing, 1974' — FSG's period convention, with no descending number line present. Bound in blue cloth with gilt spine lettering and issued in an orange and dark-blue pictorial dust jacket, with a foreword by Charles A. Lindbergh; collation runs [6], xvii, [3], 478, [8] pp. The retail issue carries a priced jacket (price present at the flap); later FSG impressions change the copyright line to read 'Second printing,' 'Third printing,' and so on.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition of 1974 (Collins's original publisher); a UK edition (W. H. Allen, London) followed and is the secondary edition. Two 'first thus' traps to avoid: the 1998 Adventure Library signed limited reissue (North Salem, NY) and the later anniversary reprints/paperbacks — neither is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition exists and is separated from the trade first by a blindstamp (small impressed dot or square) on the rear board and a jacket lacking the printed flap price (some club flaps are marked 'Book Club Edition'); the club copy also omits any trade price at the flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys* by Michael Collins a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/carrying-the-fire-an-astronauts-journeys
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.