# Is "Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality" by Jared Diamond a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality by Jared Diamond (Basic Books, 1997) is identified by: Basic Books hardcover first printing in the Science Masters series, with a number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket (US first-edition ISBN 978-0-465-03127-6). Part of the international Science Masters series, so US (Basic Books) and UK (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) editions are both 1997 and near-simultaneous; precedence is genuinely contested, but the US Basic Books hardcover is the edition most commonly cited as the first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Basic Books hardcover first printing in the Science Masters series, with a number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket (US first-edition ISBN 978-0-465-03127-6)
- The UK first was Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, also 1997
- Publisher imprint reads Basic Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jared Diamond |
| Publisher | Basic Books |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Basic Books hardcover first printing in the Science Masters series, with a number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Basic Books hardcover first printing in the Science Masters series, with a number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket (US first-edition ISBN 978-0-465-03127-6). The UK first was Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, also 1997.

## Is this the true first?
Part of the international Science Masters series, so US (Basic Books) and UK (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) editions are both 1997 and near-simultaneous; precedence is genuinely contested, but the US Basic Books hardcover is the edition most commonly cited as the first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Why Is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality* by Jared Diamond a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/why-is-sex-fun-the-evolution-of-human-sexuality
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.