# Is "The John McPhee Reader" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The John McPhee Reader by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1976) is identified by: FSG first printing, edited with an introduction by William L. US true first (FSG); anthology (first-thus).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- FSG first printing, edited with an introduction by William L. Howarth, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page and an intact FSG dust jacket
- Anthology drawn from McPhee's first twelve books
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | FSG first printing, edited with an introduction by William L. Howarth, with no statement… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
FSG first printing, edited with an introduction by William L. Howarth, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page and an intact FSG dust jacket. Anthology drawn from McPhee's first twelve books.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (FSG); anthology (first-thus).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The John McPhee Reader* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-john-mcphee-reader
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.