# Is "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond (Viking, 2005) is identified by: Copyright page carries the Viking imprint with a full number line descending to 1. The US Viking edition (copyright 2005) is the edition generally collected as the first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page carries the Viking imprint with a full number line descending to 1
- Black boards with dust jacket
- ISBN 0-670-03337-5; first-issue jacket with the printed price
- Maps and illustrations throughout
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jared Diamond |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page carries the Viking imprint with a full number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page carries the Viking imprint with a full number line descending to 1. Black boards with dust jacket; ISBN 0-670-03337-5; first-issue jacket with the printed price. Maps and illustrations throughout.

## Is this the true first?
The US Viking edition (copyright 2005) is the edition generally collected as the first. The UK (Allen Lane) edition appeared in early 2005 as a separate first thus; precise priority between the two is debated, so neither should be asserted over the other as the global true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no major book-club hardcover. Distinguish the first from later Viking printings (number line no longer ending in 1) and from the UK Allen Lane edition. A price-printed jacket plus the number line ending in 1 identify the US Viking first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed* by Jared Diamond a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/collapse-how-societies-choose-to-fail-or-succeed
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.