# Is "The Diversity of Life" by Edward O. Wilson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Diversity of Life by Edward O. Wilson (Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1992) is identified by: Quarter black cloth over brown cloth boards, gilt spine lettering; 424pp; illustrated with color plates plus full-page and in-text black-and-white drawings and photographs; first printing with no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first-state jacket retains its price. US Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (Cambridge) 1992 is the true first edition (ISBN 0-674-21298-3).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Quarter black cloth over brown cloth boards, gilt spine lettering
- 424pp; illustrated with color plates plus full-page and in-text black-and-white drawings and photographs; first printing with no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first-state jacket retains its price
- Publisher imprint reads Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Edward O. Wilson |
| Publisher | Belknap Press of Harvard University Press |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Quarter black cloth over brown cloth boards, gilt spine lettering |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Quarter black cloth over brown cloth boards, gilt spine lettering; 424pp; illustrated with color plates plus full-page and in-text black-and-white drawings and photographs; first printing with no later-printing statement on the copyright page; first-state jacket retains its price.

## Is this the true first?
US Belknap Press of Harvard University Press (Cambridge) 1992 is the true first edition (ISBN 0-674-21298-3). The W. W. Norton paperback is a later, separate issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Verify the copyright page for added printing statements to confirm a first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Diversity of Life* by Edward O. Wilson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-diversity-of-life
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.