# Is "Encounters with the Archdruid" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1971) is identified by: Brown cloth (cloth-backed boards), gilt-lettered spine; first-issue dust jacket with price present. US Farrar, Straus and Giroux true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Brown cloth (cloth-backed boards), gilt-lettered spine; first-issue dust jacket with price present
- The first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings add a printing/number statement
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Brown cloth (cloth-backed boards), gilt-lettered spine; first-issue dust jacket with price present |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Brown cloth (cloth-backed boards), gilt-lettered spine; first-issue dust jacket with price present. The first printing carries NO printing statement on the copyright page; later printings add a printing/number statement.

## Is this the true first?
US Farrar, Straus and Giroux true first. Full title: Encounters with the Archdruid: Narratives About a Conservationist and Three of His Natural Enemies. Material first appeared in The New Yorker.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Identify the first by ABSENCE of any later-printing statement on the copyright page, not by a stated 'first printing.' A book-club issue lacks the dust-jacket price and is typically smaller/blind-stamped.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Encounters with the Archdruid* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/encounters-with-the-archdruid
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.