# Is "The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time" by Jonathan Weiner a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner (Alfred A. Knopf, 1994) is identified by: Cloth-backed boards (black cloth spine over blue paper boards, gilt finch stamped to the front), issued by Alfred A. US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth-backed boards (black cloth spine over blue paper boards, gilt finch stamped to the front), issued by Alfred A. Knopf in 1994
- The copyright page states First Edition and carries the Borzoi colophon
- First-state dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd, with the printed price present on the front flap
- Illustrated throughout
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Weiner |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-backed boards (black cloth spine over blue paper boards, gilt finch stamped to the front), issued by Alfred A. Knopf in 1994 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth-backed boards (black cloth spine over blue paper boards, gilt finch stamped to the front), issued by Alfred A. Knopf in 1994. The copyright page states First Edition and carries the Borzoi colophon. First-state dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd, with the printed price present on the front flap. Illustrated throughout.

## Is this the true first?
US Alfred A. Knopf (New York), a Borzoi book distributed by Random House, 1994, is the true first. It won the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. The UK first was issued by Jonathan Cape.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies omit the printed price (and may state 'Book Club Edition') and lack the 'First Edition' statement. Note that the Borzoi running-dog blindstamp is Knopf's standard colophon and appears on trade firsts as well, so it is not by itself a book-club indicator. The stated 'First Edition' plus the priced jacket identify the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time* by Jonathan Weiner a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-beak-of-the-finch-a-story-of-evolution-in-our-time
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.