# Is "Table of Contents" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Table of Contents by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985) is identified by: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985. US true first (FSG).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985
- First printing identified by the FSG 'First printing, 1985' statement on the copyright page (later FSG practice also carries a full '1' number line)
- Navy cloth; dust jacket priced on the front flap
- Collection of eight New Yorker pieces written 1981 to 1984
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1985. First printing identified by the FSG 'First printing, 1985' statement on the copyright page (later FSG practice also carries a full '1' number line). Navy cloth; dust jacket priced on the front flap. Collection of eight New Yorker pieces written 1981 to 1984.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (FSG). No separately published earlier volume; the constituent pieces first appeared in The New Yorker.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No known Book Club Edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Table of Contents* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/table-of-contents
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.