# Is "John Adams" by David McCullough a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of John Adams by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 2001) is identified by: Copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing. The US Simon & Schuster edition is the true first, preceding the UK edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing
- ISBN 0-684-81363-7; brown boards with black cloth spine; first-issue jacket retains the printed price unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David McCullough |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing. ISBN 0-684-81363-7; brown boards with black cloth spine; first-issue jacket retains the printed price unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster edition is the true first, preceding the UK edition. Won the 2002 Pulitzer for Biography. McCullough's 'Truman' (Simon & Schuster, 1992) is a parallel collecting target.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club hardcover competes; the usual confusion is with later Simon & Schuster printings. The full number line counting down to 1 plus the unclipped printed-price jacket identify the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *John Adams* by David McCullough a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/john-adams
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.