The points of issue
First US edition, first printing: full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0' on the copyright page. Original dust jacket with the printed price. Subtitle on the US first is 'The Fates of Human Societies.'
Is this the true first?
US Norton 1997 is the true first. The UK edition (Jonathan Cape, 1997) bears the variant title 'Guns, Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years' — a true first in its own market with a different subtitle. Won the 1998 Pulitzer; post-Pulitzer printings are far more common than the first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the full number line ending in low digits, are on thinner paper, often smaller, and carry an unpriced or clipped jacket with a BCE blind stamp.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First US edition, first printing: full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0' on the copyright page. Original dust jacket with the printed price. Subtitle on the US first is 'The Fates of Human Societies.'
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Norton 1997 is the true first. The UK edition (Jonathan Cape, 1997) bears the variant title 'Guns, Germs and Steel: A Short History of Everybody for the Last 13,000 Years' — a true first in its own market with a different subtitle. Won the 1998 Pulitzer; post-Pulitzer printings are far more commo
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book club editions lack the full number line ending in low digits, are on thinner paper, often smaller, and carry an unpriced or clipped jacket with a BCE blind stamp.
I have a first edition of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.