# Is "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character" by Richard P. Feynman with Ralph Leighton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman with Ralph Leighton (W. W. Norton & Company, 1985) is identified by: Norton & Company, New York, 1985. US only.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985
- The first printing is identified on the copyright page by the words 'First Edition' together with the full number line running down to 0 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0); later printings lack the low numbers
- It is bound in half red cloth over red boards with the spine lettered in gilt (the red cloth and jacket are notoriously prone to fading/sunning), in a dust jacket designed by Mike McIver and priced at the flap
- A documented advance-copy point: pre-publication copies given to Feynman in late 1984 (roughly 16-20) carry a faint publisher's stamp reading '43546' at the top of the front free endpaper (per Manhattan Rare Books)
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard P. Feynman with Ralph Leighton |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is W. W. Norton & Company, New York, 1985. The first printing is identified on the copyright page by the words 'First Edition' together with the full number line running down to 0 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0); later printings lack the low numbers. It is bound in half red cloth over red boards with the spine lettered in gilt (the red cloth and jacket are notoriously prone to fading/sunning), in a dust jacket designed by Mike McIver and priced at the flap. A documented advance-copy point: pre-publication copies given to Feynman in late 1984 (roughly 16-20) carry a faint publisher's stamp reading '43546' at the top of the front free endpaper (per Manhattan Rare Books).

## Is this the true first?
US only. Norton (New York), 1985 is the true first; the UK edition (Unwin) is a later, separate publication. The book was edited from taped conversations by Ralph Leighton; the subtitle is 'Adventures of a Curious Character.'

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Norton printings are shown by a number line that no longer ends in the low digits/0, so a first printing must display both 'First Edition' and the complete number line; beware later printings in like jackets. No separate hardback book-club issue was confirmed in the sources consulted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character* by Richard P. Feynman with Ralph Leighton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/surely-youre-joking-mr-feynman-adventures-of-a-curious-chara
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.