# Is "The Mismeasure of Man" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton & Company, 1981) is identified by: Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' together with a full number line descending to 1. The US Norton edition is the true first and precedes the UK issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' together with a full number line descending to 1
- Quarter red cloth backstrip over gray boards, spine titled in gilt and silver
- Pictorial first-issue jacket designed by Jay J. Smith with the printed price intact at the head of the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' together with a full number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' together with a full number line descending to 1. Quarter red cloth backstrip over gray boards, spine titled in gilt and silver; 352 pp. Pictorial first-issue jacket designed by Jay J. Smith with the printed price intact at the head of the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Norton edition is the true first and precedes the UK issue. The 1996 'Revised and Expanded' edition, which adds responses to The Bell Curve, is a distinct first thus and should not be confused with the 1981 first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The principal confusion is the 1996 revised and expanded edition rather than a book club issue. A true 1981 first shows the stated 'FIRST EDITION' with the full number line to 1 and the printed first-issue jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mismeasure of Man* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mismeasure-of-man
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.