# Is "Giving Good Weight" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Giving Good Weight by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979) is identified by: FSG first printing, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page and an intact FSG dust jacket. US true first (FSG); McPhee published exclusively with FSG.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- FSG first printing, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page and an intact FSG dust jacket
- Essay collection in brown cloth with red spine lettering
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | FSG first printing, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page and an… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
FSG first printing, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page and an intact FSG dust jacket. Essay collection in brown cloth with red spine lettering.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (FSG); McPhee published exclusively with FSG.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No known book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Giving Good Weight* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/giving-good-weight
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.