# Is "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas S. Kuhn a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn (University of Chicago Press, 1962) is identified by: First edition, first printing: University of Chicago Press, 1962, issued in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science series (Vol. The 1962 University of Chicago first is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: University of Chicago Press, 1962, issued in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science series (Vol
- First printing has no later-printing statement; original wrappers (paperbound issue) and/or cloth
- The 1962 first lacks the 1969 'Postscript' that appears in the second edition
- Publisher imprint reads University of Chicago Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas S. Kuhn |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: University of Chicago Press, 1962, issued in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science series (Vol |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: University of Chicago Press, 1962, issued in the International Encyclopedia of Unified Science series (Vol. II, No. 2). First printing has no later-printing statement; original wrappers (paperbound issue) and/or cloth. The 1962 first lacks the 1969 'Postscript' that appears in the second edition.

## Is this the true first?
The 1962 University of Chicago first is the true first. The far more common 1970 second edition adds Kuhn's 'Postscript—1969' and is textually distinct — not the first. Both hardcover and the encyclopedia-series wrappers issue exist for 1962; verify the 1962 date and absence of the Postscript.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; the principal confusion is the 1970+ second edition (with Postscript) being mistaken for the first. Any copy containing the 1969 Postscript is at least a second edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Structure of Scientific Revolutions* by Thomas S. Kuhn a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-structure-of-scientific-revolutions
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.