# Is "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert (Henry Holt and Company, 2014) is identified by: Cloth-backed boards in red cloth, 319 pages. US Henry Holt (New York) is the true first, published February 2014.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth-backed boards in red cloth, 319 pages
- The copyright page reads 'First Edition: February 2014.' First-state dust jacket present, with the printed jacket price present (came unclipped from the publisher)
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Elizabeth Kolbert |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-backed boards in red cloth, 319 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Cloth-backed boards in red cloth, 319 pages. The copyright page reads 'First Edition: February 2014.' First-state dust jacket present, with the printed jacket price present (came unclipped from the publisher).

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt (New York) is the true first, published February 2014. Won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm the 'First Edition: February 2014' statement on the copyright page; later printings drop that wording.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History* by Elizabeth Kolbert a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sixth-extinction-an-unnatural-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 2026-07-04.