# Is "The Sea of Cortez (Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research)" by John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sea of Cortez (Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research) by John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts (The Viking Press, 1941) is identified by: First edition, first issue includes the color frontispiece and the full phyletic catalogue (species appendix); bound in tan/buff cloth. US Viking (1941) is the true first and the only edition containing the full Ricketts species catalogue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first issue includes the color frontispiece and the full phyletic catalogue (species appendix); bound in tan/buff cloth |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sea of Cortez (Sea of Cortez: A Leisurely Journal of Travel and Research)* by John Steinbeck and Edward F. Ricketts a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sea-of-cortez-sea-of-cortez-a-leisurely-journal-of-trave
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.