# Is "Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton, 1977) is identified by: Orange paper-covered boards with embossed 'SJG' initials and a brown cloth spine lettered in gilt; full number line on the copyright page descending to '1'; first-state dust jacket with price present. US Norton (New York) is the true first, 1977.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Orange paper-covered boards with embossed 'SJG' initials and a brown cloth spine lettered in gilt; full number line on the copyright page descending to '1'; first-state dust jacket with price present
- Gould's first essay collection, drawn from his Natural History magazine columns
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Orange paper-covered boards with embossed 'SJG' initials and a brown cloth spine lettered in gilt; full number line on the copyright page… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Orange paper-covered boards with embossed 'SJG' initials and a brown cloth spine lettered in gilt; full number line on the copyright page descending to '1'; first-state dust jacket with price present. Gould's first essay collection, drawn from his Natural History magazine columns.

## Is this the true first?
US Norton (New York) is the true first, 1977.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Identify later printings by a number line that no longer descends to '1'.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ever-since-darwin-reflections-in-natural-history
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.