The points of issue
First edition, first issue includes the color frontispiece and the full phyletic catalogue (species appendix); bound in tan/buff cloth. Co-authored by Steinbeck and Ricketts. First-issue dust jacket with front-flap price. The complete species catalogue and the integral color plate are the points to verify.
Is this the true first?
US Viking (1941) is the true first and the only edition containing the full Ricketts species catalogue. The later 1951 'The Log from the Sea of Cortez' (Viking) is a separate 'first thus'—Steinbeck-only narrative text WITHOUT the species catalogue, prefaced by 'About Ed Ricketts.' Do not confuse the two.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of the 1941 first. The pervasive confusion is the 1951 'Log from the Sea of Cortez,' which is a different book (narrative only). Any copy lacking the species catalogue/phyletic appendix is the Log, not the 1941 Sea of Cortez first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Sea of Cortez (Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First edition, first issue includes the color frontispiece and the full phyletic catalogue (species appendix); bound in tan/buff cloth. Co-authored by Steinbeck and Ricketts. First-issue dust jacket with front-flap price. The complete species catalogue and the integral color plate are the points to verify.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Viking (1941) is the true first and the only edition containing the full Ricketts species catalogue. The later 1951 'The Log from the Sea of Cortez' (Viking) is a separate 'first thus'—Steinbeck-only narrative text WITHOUT the species catalogue, prefaced by 'About Ed Ricketts.' Do not confuse the
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition of the 1941 first. The pervasive confusion is the 1951 'Log from the Sea of Cortez,' which is a different book (narrative only). Any copy lacking the species catalogue/phyletic appendix is the Log, not the 1941 Sea of Cortez first.
I have a first edition of The Sea of Cortez (Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.