# Is "The Terminal Man" by Michael Crichton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton (Alfred A. Knopf, 1972) is identified by: Knopf (Borzoi) first edition: copyright page states Published May 1, 1972 / First and Second Printings Before Publication with First Edition and no later-printing statement; the unclipped jacket carries the 6.95 front-flap price and the code the printed price at the rear flap. The US Knopf edition (1972) is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition is also 1972 but follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf (Borzoi) first edition: copyright page states Published May 1, 1972 / First and Second Printings Before Publication with First Edition and no later-printing statement; the unclipped jacket carries the 6.95 front-flap price and the code the printed price at the rear flap
- Butterscotch cloth spine with silver lettering over light brown boards with a repeating title strip; brown endpapers with cutaway brain drawings
- Paul Bacon jacket
- 247 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Crichton |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf (Borzoi) first edition: copyright page states Published May 1, 1972 / First and Second Printings Before Publication with First… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Knopf (Borzoi) first edition: copyright page states Published May 1, 1972 / First and Second Printings Before Publication with First Edition and no later-printing statement; the unclipped jacket carries the 6.95 front-flap price and the code the printed price at the rear flap. Butterscotch cloth spine with silver lettering over light brown boards with a repeating title strip; brown endpapers with cutaway brain drawings; Paul Bacon jacket. 247 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The US Knopf edition (1972) is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition is also 1972 but follows. the printed price rear-flap code together with the Published May 1, 1972 / First and Second Printings Before Publication statement identifies the first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book club edition (it was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection) lacks the jacket price and carries the rear-board blind-stamp dot.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Terminal Man* by Michael Crichton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-terminal-man
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.