The points of issue
Small cloth-backed boards; copyright page states first US publication 1995 with a complete descending number line; first-state priced jacket. The original first issue is the unillustrated trade text.
Is this the true first?
US Walker and Company (New York) is the true first, 1995; the UK Fourth Estate edition followed in 1996.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The illustrated edition (published later, 1998) is a separate 'first thus'; the 1995 first is the unillustrated trade edition. Confirm the full number line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius... a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Small cloth-backed boards; copyright page states first US publication 1995 with a complete descending number line; first-state priced jacket. The original first issue is the unillustrated trade text.
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 Walker and Company (New York) is the true first, 1995; the UK Fourth Estate edition followed in 1996.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The illustrated edition (published later, 1998) is a separate 'first thus'; the 1995 first is the unillustrated trade edition. Confirm the full number line.
I have a first edition of Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius... — 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.