# Is "The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History" by Stephen Jay Gould a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton, 1980) is identified by: Norton first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a priced dust jacket. US true first (W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Norton first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a priced dust jacket
- Collection of natural-history essays
- American Book Award winner
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Jay Gould |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Norton first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Norton first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a priced dust jacket. Collection of natural-history essays; American Book Award winner.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (W. W. Norton).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History* by Stephen Jay Gould a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-pandas-thumb-more-reflections-in-natural-history
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.