# Is "Consider the Oyster" by M. F. K. Fisher a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Consider the Oyster by M. F. K. Fisher (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1941) is identified by: First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1941, in original gray cloth boards stamped in white, octavo, about 116 pages. The US Duell, Sloan and Pearce edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1941, in original gray cloth boards stamped in white, octavo, about 116 pages
- The copyright page bears no later-printing notation
- The illustrated dust jacket should retain the printed price to the flap on a first-issue copy
- Publisher imprint reads Duell, Sloan and Pearce
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | M. F. K. Fisher |
| Publisher | Duell, Sloan and Pearce |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1941, in original gray cloth boards stamped in white, octavo, about 116 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1941, in original gray cloth boards stamped in white, octavo, about 116 pages. The copyright page bears no later-printing notation. The illustrated dust jacket should retain the printed price to the flap on a first-issue copy.

## Is this the true first?
The US Duell, Sloan and Pearce edition is the true first. First-state copies retain the printed-price jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
This content was later reprinted in the omnibus The Art of Eating (World, 1954) - a 'first thus' collection, not the first appearance of this title. Watch for jacketless or price-clipped copies offered as firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Consider the Oyster* by M. F. K. Fisher a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/consider-the-oyster
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.