# Is "The Biophilia Hypothesis" by E. O. Wilson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Biophilia Hypothesis by E. O. Wilson (Island Press / Shearwater Books, 1993) is identified by: Island Press / Shearwater Books first printing, 1993; edited by Stephen R. US true first, Island Press / Shearwater Books.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Island Press / Shearwater Books first printing, 1993; edited by Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson, with Kellert as the first-listed editor; pictorial dust jacket with printed price
- Multi-contributor edited volume, roughly 484 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Island Press / Shearwater Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E. O. Wilson |
| Publisher | Island Press / Shearwater Books |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Island Press / Shearwater Books first printing, 1993; edited by Stephen R. Kellert and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Island Press / Shearwater Books first printing, 1993; edited by Stephen R. Kellert and Edward O. Wilson, with Kellert as the first-listed editor; pictorial dust jacket with printed price. Multi-contributor edited volume, roughly 484 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US true first, Island Press / Shearwater Books. An edited anthology; on the title page Kellert is named first as editor and Wilson second, so the record should not present Wilson as sole or primary author.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Biophilia Hypothesis* by E. O. Wilson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-biophilia-hypothesis
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.