# Is "Coming into the Country" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Coming into the Country by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977) is identified by: First edition, first printing states 'First printing, 1977' on the copyright page (FSG convention) with no later-printing line. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux (1977) is the true first—McPhee's landmark Alaska book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing states 'First printing, 1977' on the copyright page (FSG convention) with no later-printing line
- Bound in cloth/quarter-cloth; first-issue dust jacket with the Alaska-themed art and front-flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing states 'First printing, 1977' on the copyright page (FSG convention) with no later-printing line |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing states 'First printing, 1977' on the copyright page (FSG convention) with no later-printing line. Bound in cloth/quarter-cloth; first-issue dust jacket with the Alaska-themed art and front-flap price.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux (1977) is the true first—McPhee's landmark Alaska book. FSG's 'First printing, 1977' statement (removed on later printings) is the decisive point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club issue; later FSG printings drop the 'First printing, 1977' line, and the Noonday/FSG paperbacks are obvious 'first thus.' The stated first-printing line is the check.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Coming into the Country* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/coming-into-the-country
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.