# Is "The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?" by Jared Diamond a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond (Viking, 2012) is identified by: First printing from Viking, 2012, with the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 present on the copyright page (descending to 1). US true first (Viking, published December 31, 2012).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing from Viking, 2012, with the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 present on the copyright page (descending to 1)
- Bound in dark quarter cloth with gilt spine lettering over light gray boards; the photographic dust jacket carries an image of a woman and child in a mountain village and should retain its printed price
- ISBN 978-0-670-02481-0
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jared Diamond |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing from Viking, 2012, with the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 present… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing from Viking, 2012, with the full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 present on the copyright page (descending to 1). Bound in dark quarter cloth with gilt spine lettering over light gray boards; the photographic dust jacket carries an image of a woman and child in a mountain village and should retain its printed price. ISBN 978-0-670-02481-0.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (Viking, published December 31, 2012). The UK edition (Allen Lane, ISBN 978-0-713-99898-6) appeared in 2013 and does not precede.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?* by Jared Diamond a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-world-until-yesterday-what-can-we-learn-from-traditional
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.