# Is "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond (W. W. Norton, 1997) is identified by: First US edition, first printing: full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0' on the copyright page. US Norton 1997 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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.'
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jared Diamond |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition, first printing: full number line '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0' on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies* by Jared Diamond a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/guns-germs-and-steel-the-fates-of-human-societies
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.