# Is "The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God" by Carl Sagan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan (The Penguin Press, 2006) is identified by: The Penguin Press first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a priced dust jacket. US true first (The Penguin Press); first appearance in book form of the Gifford Lectures.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Penguin Press first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a priced dust jacket
- Drawn from Sagan's 1985 Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow; edited by Ann Druyan and published posthumously
- Publisher imprint reads The Penguin Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Carl Sagan |
| Publisher | The Penguin Press |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Penguin Press first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Penguin Press first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1; issued in a priced dust jacket. Drawn from Sagan's 1985 Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow; edited by Ann Druyan and published posthumously.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (The Penguin Press); first appearance in book form of the Gifford Lectures.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God* by Carl Sagan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-varieties-of-scientific-experience-a-personal-view-of-th
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.