# Is "The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (Harmony Books, 2000) is identified by: Harmony Books (Crown/Random House), New York, 2000. US Harmony edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Harmony Books (Crown/Random House), New York, 2000
- First edition, first printing has the number line reading to 1 and a priced first-issue dust jacket
- Essay collection
- Publisher imprint reads Harmony Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | Harmony Books |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Harmony Books (Crown/Random House), New York, 2000 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Harmony Books (Crown/Random House), New York, 2000. First edition, first printing has the number line reading to 1 and a priced first-issue dust jacket. Essay collection.

## Is this the true first?
US Harmony edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition point of concern.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lying Stones of Marrakech: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lying-stones-of-marrakech-penultimate-reflections-in-nat
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.