# Is "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter (Basic Books, 1979) is identified by: US Basic Books (New York), 1979. US Basic Books (New York) true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Basic Books (New York), 1979
- Bound in brown cloth (not cloth-backed boards) with gold lettering to the spine; the copyright page carries a complete number line descending to 1
- First-state dust jacket has the printed price present on the front flap
- Illustrated throughout
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the inaugural American Book Award for Nonfiction
- Publisher imprint reads Basic Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Douglas R. Hofstadter |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Basic Books (New York), 1979 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Basic Books (New York), 1979. Bound in brown cloth (not cloth-backed boards) with gold lettering to the spine; the copyright page carries a complete number line descending to 1. First-state dust jacket has the printed price present on the front flap. Illustrated throughout. Won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the inaugural American Book Award for Nonfiction (1980).

## Is this the true first?
US Basic Books (New York) true first. Won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the inaugural American Book Award for Nonfiction (1980).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club issue lacks the printed jacket price and carries a blind-stamp to the rear board; the number line on a true first descends all the way to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid* by Douglas R. Hofstadter a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/g-del-escher-bach-an-eternal-golden-braid
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.