# Is "The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher" by Lewis Thomas a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher by Lewis Thomas (Viking Press, 1979) is identified by: Viking Press, New York, 1979. US Viking (New York) is the true first; an Allen Lane / UK edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Viking Press, New York, 1979
- Blue boards with a cloth-backed spine and gilt titling
- 175 pages
- Copyright page states 'First published in... 1979 by The Viking Press' with no later-printing statement on the true first; first-state dust jacket retains the original printed flap price
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lewis Thomas |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Viking Press, New York, 1979 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Viking Press, New York, 1979. Blue boards with a cloth-backed spine and gilt titling; 175 pages. Copyright page states 'First published in... 1979 by The Viking Press' with no later-printing statement on the true first; first-state dust jacket retains the original printed flap price.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking (New York) is the true first; an Allen Lane / UK edition followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Club and later issues lack the original flap price; verify the 'First published... 1979' statement and the absence of any added printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher* by Lewis Thomas a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-medusa-and-the-snail-more-notes-of-a-biology-watcher
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.