# Is "Sociobiology: The New Synthesis" by Edward O. Wilson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by Edward O. Wilson (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1975) is identified by: Large oblong quarto; cloth boards; profusely illustrated with line drawings by Sarah Landry and halftones; 697pp; copyright page shows 1975 with no later-printing statement; first-state jacket retains its price. US Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (Cambridge) 1975 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Large oblong quarto; cloth boards; profusely illustrated with line drawings by Sarah Landry and halftones
- 697pp; copyright page shows 1975 with no later-printing statement; first-state jacket retains its price
- Notable for the controversial final chapter applying sociobiology to human behavior
- Publisher imprint reads Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward O. Wilson |
| Publisher | Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Large oblong quarto; cloth boards; profusely illustrated with line drawings by Sarah Landry and halftones |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Large oblong quarto; cloth boards; profusely illustrated with line drawings by Sarah Landry and halftones; 697pp; copyright page shows 1975 with no later-printing statement; first-state jacket retains its price. Notable for the controversial final chapter applying sociobiology to human behavior.

## Is this the true first?
US Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (Cambridge) 1975 is the true first edition. The 1980 abridged edition and the 2000 twenty-fifth-anniversary edition are separate, later issues.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue; reprints are identified by added printing statements on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sociobiology: The New Synthesis* by Edward O. Wilson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sociobiology-the-new-synthesis
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.