# Is "The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (Simon & Schuster, 1968) is identified by: First edition, first printing in brown cloth with gilt lettering; red top stain; endpapers with maps; pictorial dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon and bearing the original printed price. US true first (Simon & Schuster, 1968).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing in brown cloth with gilt lettering; red top stain; endpapers with maps; pictorial dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon and bearing the original printed price
- McCullough's first book
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David McCullough |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing in brown cloth with gilt lettering; red top stain… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing in brown cloth with gilt lettering; red top stain; endpapers with maps; pictorial dust jacket designed by Paul Bacon and bearing the original printed price. McCullough's first book.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (Simon & Schuster, 1968).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions exist; they lack the printed jacket price and typically carry a blind-stamp on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Johnstown Flood* by David McCullough a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-johnstown-flood
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.