# Is "The Patch" by John McPhee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Patch by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018) is identified by: FSG first printing identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; issued in a priced dust jacket. US true first edition (FSG); the US edition precedes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- FSG first printing identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; issued in a priced dust jacket
- Essay collection published November 2018
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McPhee |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | FSG first printing identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
FSG first printing identified by a full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; issued in a priced dust jacket. Essay collection published November 2018.

## Is this the true first?
US true first edition (FSG); the US edition precedes.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Patch* by John McPhee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-patch
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.