# Is "The Control of Nature" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Control of Nature by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1989) is identified by: Bound in red-brown (brown) cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping; the copyright page states 'First edition, 1989' with no additional printing statement. The US Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover is the true first (New York, 1989).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bound in red-brown (brown) cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping; the copyright page states 'First edition, 1989' with no additional printing statement
- First-state dust jacket retains the printed price on the flap and should not be relied on if price-clipped to confirm the first issue
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bound in red-brown (brown) cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping; the copyright page states 'First edition, 1989' with no additional… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Bound in red-brown (brown) cloth-backed boards with gilt spine stamping; the copyright page states 'First edition, 1989' with no additional printing statement. First-state dust jacket retains the printed price on the flap and should not be relied on if price-clipped to confirm the first issue.

## Is this the true first?
The US Farrar, Straus and Giroux hardcover is the true first (New York, 1989). The three constituent essays first appeared in The New Yorker before book publication.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing/number statement to the copyright page; the true first carries only the stated 'First edition, 1989' with no number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Control of Nature* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-control-of-nature
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.